Perchance To Dream
by LittleIsa
Summary: *CHAP. 9 FINALLY UP!!* Ken/Ran Yohji/Omi ~ Ran's team is dead and he is found in Tokyo with no memory. While Manx situates him with Weiss the truth behind what occurred begins to come back, with terrible results.
1. Weiss

Disclaimer: Not mine, nope never will be!  
  
Summary: Ran's first team is dead and he is found in Tokyo with no memory of what happened. While Manx tries to get him situated with his new team, Weiss, someone is watching him closely. What exactly did happen to his last team? Could Weiss be the next to fall to this odd pattern of destruction that seems to be following the redhead?   
  
Pairing: Ken/Ran, Yohji/Omi (More Pairings Later)  
  
Rating: R  
  
' This is thoughts '  
  
" This is spoken "  
  
Muse: SchuSchu  
  
Schu: HELL YEAH! *grins*   
  
Isa: You scare me.  
  
Schu: Yep! ^_____^  
  
Isa: O_o;; Hope you enjoy the story...  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
"We have a mission for you." The three Weiss looked up at the redhead who stood before them, folder in hand. She looked at assassins, pausing for a moment as she gauged their reaction. Manx had told Persia that she believed it was too soon; perhaps she had been correct. But facts were facts, they were down one teammate and three men had not gotten over the pain they felt. Unfortunately death didn't stop the evildoers in the world, Weiss was needed for this mission. "I told Persia you might not take it, he understands." She continued, watching as the three men exchanged a look. "How long will this go on? I understand that you lost a teammate, someone you trusted but you need to do your job."  
  
The youngest Weiss looked up, frowning as he met her green eyes. "What are we supposed to do?" He whispered, wrapping his arms around himself. "They killed him and we couldn't stop it from happening, I just…" Omi's head fell forward, sky blues eyes sliding closed.   
  
"Maybe it is too soon." Yohji finished, knowing what the young man was trying to say. "It was only a week ago that our fourth member was killed, we need time to adjust."  
  
Manx took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she looked over at the other Weiss member. He had been with Weiss and Omi almost from day one and she respected his opinion, even if he was a bit hotheaded. "Well?" The brunette was silent. "What are your thoughts on this?"  
  
Dark hair fell back as the man raised his head, equally dark eyes meeting her forest green. "I don't have anything to say right now Manx." He replied, leaning back into the chair. "We are three, Weiss is supposed to be four." He saw her nod in agreement to that. "But we really don't want another member to join us."  
  
She had figured they would have already discussed this as a group. "So the three of you have already conversed about this?" The assassins nodded in response. "As much as I respect your feelings, Weiss has to be a full working team...that means four members."  
  
"We understand that." Yohji said, as he stood to make his way over to the informant. "But the last person you put with our group didn't last a year! We had gotten used to him being around, but now? Manx I think we are better off as three, I don't want another team member."  
  
"Neither do I." Omi whispered, looking over at the last of their team.  
  
Manx followed his gaze, looking over at the final assassin. She still remembered when she had first put Omi and this man together. 'He really didn't want anyone...Omi did a good job in opening him back up again.' Finally chocolate brown eyes looked up, his features a mixture of anger and sadness. "Ken?"  
  
"I already told you I don't want anyone else." He said once again. "We have all told you we don't want someone else, you can tell that to Persia."  
  
Nodding, she slipped the folder under her arm. "I will discuss this with Persia, the final decision is his. If he decides to add another person to Weiss, the three of you cannot refuse."  
  
Yohji let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah?" He asked, pulling out his cigarettes. "Well that's fine, but we don't have to like it either."  
  
She couldn't help but think that the men of Weiss, when in agreement, were the most stubborn men she had ever met in her life. Then again, isn't that what made them such good assassins? The ability they had to not give up, or give in? 'I know what Persia is going to say and it isn't the answer that they want. Weiss wants to be three, I know that Persia wants them to be four.' Looking over at Yohji she nodded then set down the folder. "The three of you will do this mission, I will speak with Persia about everything else." Manx walked past him, reaching the stairs. Omi had already grabbed the mission and had opened it to begin. 'How can I tell them that Persia has already chosen a new member for them?' With that, she exited the mission room, walking out to her car.  
  
~  
  
Ken breathed out, looking up as the door closed. "I know what Persia is going to say." He said, glancing back at the other two members of Weiss. "We are supposed to be four...he will give us another partner."  
  
"You don't know that." The blond replied, once again looking down at the papers in his hand.   
  
The brunette looked from Omi to Yohji, frowning. "I know Persia..." He answered, seeing green eyes narrow. "All I know is...new member or not, I refuse to get attached to this one. It may seem cold, but I am sick of loosing friends."  
  
"I know how you feel." Yohji replied, his hand resting on the tanned arm that was now wrapped in white bandages. "How are you feeling?" Ken shrugged. "Are you ready for this mission?" Omi looked up, the same question reflected in his eyes.  
  
Nodding, he pulled away from Yohji's touch. "I'll be fine." He didn't miss the hurt that flashed thought he green orbs as he pulled away. 'I don't want to be touched, everything I touch is destroyed.' Obviously his thoughts were reflected in his eyes, a moment later Yohji nodded.  
  
Clearing his throat, Omi tossed the folder down on the table between them. "The mission isn't that hard." He explained. "A simple strike and grab, get some documents from a man's house. The place isn't guarded very well so this should be nice, quick and clean."  
  
"When?"  
  
The blond looked up at Yohji. "Might as well do it tonight and get it over with, unless you have other plans?"  
  
Shaking his head, brown shoulder length hair fell in the eldest Weiss's face. "I have nothing to do but have fun with you two."  
  
"Ken?" He looked up, brown meeting the blue eyes of their leader. He might have been the youngest of their group, but he was by far the smartest. "Why don't you go get some rest before we go out?"  
  
He turned; making his way over to the stairs that would lead to their living room. Pausing half way up the steps, he looked back down at the two. "What time will we be going?"  
  
"One."  
  
He nodded, a tanned hand falling to rest on the metal of the banister. "I'll be ready." With those words, he walked out of view, the sound of the door opening then closing echoed in the basement a moment later.   
  
Before Omi could voice his concerns, Yohji's voice stated them. "You're worried?" He asked as the smaller man looked up at him. "You're worried about Ken?"  
  
The blond simply nodded. "Yohji...he was the first teammate I ever had, I am always worried about him."  
  
"...you mean lately?" The man said, knowing the worry he was now displaying wasn't his usual type; he seemed confused over the brunette. There was a moment of silence then Omi nodded in answer to his question. "He really liked our last teammate, all this is just really hard for him. You should know that better than I, you have been with Ken longer."  
  
"I know." Blue eyes strayed to the stairs where Ken had disappeared moments before. "I hope Persia doesn't give us a new partner, he's serious Yohji."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Refusing to get along with the person if he gives us a new teammate." He answered, looking back at the eldest Weiss. "I can understand why he feels that way."  
  
Yohji just sighed, giving up on the conversation for the moment. "Tell me about this mission, we will worry about the rest later, Kid." He could see that the blond still wanted to talk about it, so did he. But until they found out the decision, there would be no point in arguing over the situation. "Look, lets just get though this...we can worry about the rest later." Omi finally sighed, giving into him and explained exactly what that nights mission would involve.  
  
~  
  
Manx shook her head as she looked down at the man who slept in the hospital bed. The doctors had told her he had barely made it, an hour more without medical attention and he would not have survived. Sighing, the redhead sat down in the chair someone had set beside the hospital bed. She had been worried when Kritiker had lost contact with his group in Kyoto. The recovery team had gone in to find them but when they had gotten there the team couldn't be found. The safe house had been deserted, weapons gone, but their personal possessions had still been there. 'Then suddenly I am getting a call from Tokyo saying Ran is there...but the rest of the team...' Manx stopped her thoughts, knowing there was nothing any of them could have done. No one really knew what happened, the sleeping redhead was the only person who could give Kritiker those answers.  
  
"How is he?"   
  
Turning, Manx looked back at the man who was responsible for Kritiker in the first place. "I don't know." She responded, and it was the truth. "They say he hasn't woken since he stumbled in here and passed out." There was silence for a moment as Manx looked back at the young assassin. "I want to know how he got all the way to Tokyo in this condition." She finally whispered, seeing him nod out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"So what are we going to do with him?" Persia whispered, looking at the pale form before him. Ran had been with Kritiker for two years, he was an excellent assassin, if not a bit detached. "Poor boy, he hasn't had it easy the past few weeks."  
  
Manx looked up at the man, frowning. "He hasn't had it easy, period...you know that as well as I do!" She saw him frown as she turned away to watch over the young man once again. It had been true, what she had said; the man before her had not had an easy time lately. Between everything that had happened...and some things that weren't supposed to happen; it seemed as if he had been tossed around. 'There really was no place for him, but they wanted there to be one.' The informant would be the first to admit that she had grown attached to the silent young assassin, in a way adopting him and watching over him. Seeing the redhead like this was a smack in the face. 'After everything I did, trying to give you some stability...oh look what I did to you Ran.'  
  
A light touch to her shoulder brought the woman out of her thoughts, looking back up. "Did you hear me Manx?" He saw her shake her head, attention once again on the man asleep before them. "I asked you what we are going to do with him now?"  
  
"I don't know Persia, but I want to find a place for him." She answered, green eyes finally meeting his and holding them. "I have an idea, I would like to ask your opinion?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Manx was silent for a moment as she thought over her proposal. 'I know it would work, I think they would take to him and maybe all of them will find a stability?' Finally, she looked up at the man beside her. "I want Ran to join Weiss." She could see that Persia was about to argue that point, but cut him off. "I know you wanted that other man to join." She paused. "Persia...I think putting Ran with Weiss might be a good idea."  
  
"Where am I going to put the other assassin?" He asked, knowing that the redhead woman before him could care less about the other assassin. Persia knew that Manx had become quite attached to the man that now lay in the hospital bed before them. 'If he goes with Weiss, Manx would be his informant. She may like it better if she can keep an eye on him, he's a good assassin...but young. There is a lot of anger that is still in him, maybe Weiss could calm him down?'  
  
Standing, she stood beside the silent figure. "You don't like the idea?"  
  
He sighed, breathing out. "Speak to Weiss, see what they say."  
  
"Thank you Persia." Smiling, she looked back down at he sleeping figure. 'Don't worry Ran, I'll find you a place...someplace where you will feel needed. That s what you want, isn't it? To be needed?'  
  
~  
  
"Ran?"  
  
Violet hues opened meeting the dark green eyes he knew all too well. "Manx, I should have figured you would be the first thing I see when I wake." He whispered, his voice still rough with drugs and sleep. Ran shifted, trying to get in a more comfortable position, feeling the pain shoot up though his side. Wincing, his eyes shot for a moment, before opening again to meet hers. "So to what do I owe this pleasure?"  
  
She couldn't help but frown as she sat down on the bed slowly, trying not to disturb him. "This isn't a pleasure visit Ran, I need to know what happened to all of you out there?" The redhead just looked at her as if she had spoken some language he couldn't understand. "It's a simple question Ran." She knew that now wasn't the best time to be doing this; Ran had only woken a few hours prior. The doctors had told her he wasn't quite right in the head, but Kritiker wanted answers and the redhead was the only source for that information.  
  
"I don't know the answer." He whispered, one pale hand reaching up to rub the bandage that covered his forehead. His body had been covered in scratches and cuts; a deep slash running from his chest to his waist had been the worse. He also had taken a blow to the head and his left leg had been messed up as well. His hand lowered slowly as eyes fell on the bandages around his wrist. "Something bad...happened." Ran then whispered, dark purple eyes falling closed with weariness. "I don't remember exactly what...but I...I think I remember them telling me to run. Someone was there...they had...set a trap and I was attacked." Manx's eyes grew wide as she listened to him. "No, we were attacked...but it was by someone who knew us."  
  
"Who?"  
  
He shook his head, his hand lifting to cover his eyes. "I can't remember right now Manx...please don't make me...I don't want to remember." The redhead finished in a whisper, rolling on to his uninjured side. "I don't know what happened...I don't know...I don't know...I don't know..."   
  
She sighed, looking down at the young assassin, seeing his eyes were closed tight. "Ran, please I need you to remember soon." She begged, reaching down to brush scarlet bangs from his face then grabbing her purse. "I have three agents dead, one missing and you showing up in Tokyo fucked up beyond belief." He didn't respond to that, breathing out; Manx laid a hand on his shoulder. "I have a place for you, once you are out of here I'll take you to them." The man just laid there, his arm lying across his face to hide his eyes from her. "Ran, please try to remember and...just rest." With that she turned, walking out of the room.  
  
'I can't remember what happened...I don't even know how I got here.' He thought to himself as he laid there, curled up into a ball. It hurt, having his body so tight around him. Every cut...every scratch seemed to be crying out in pain and all he could do was ignore it. 'I don't want another team...I don't want people around me! Can't you see Manx! Can't you see what I already know? I'm cursed...everyone I care about...everyone I love! Everyone I want to protect ends up dead...I don't want to be near anyone ever again.' But he knew that was impossible, he was an assassin and as such he would go where Kritiker sent him. 'But I won't touch; I won't care about them. When I care is when they will die...if I don't care I won't be touched.' He thought to himself, a tear running down his cheek. 'If I don't touch I won't want their companionship. If I stay away then they won't die because of me, I don't want someone to die because of me.' The door opened once again, causing Ran to look up at the dark haired woman entering the room.   
  
"It's time for your pain pills." She said, walking towards him.  
  
Ran just sighed, his eyes once again closing. "I don't want to be loved...stop caring about me." He then whispered, trying to block out the sounds around him.  
  
~  
  
Ladies and... are there any gentlemen reading this? O.O;;  
  
kami[bukurosama]: Please oh please oh please leave reviews for Isa-chan!  
  
Schu: What for?  
  
kami: Because it's a nice thing to do!  
  
Schu: Why would people be nice?  
  
kami: Because people just ARE...  
  
Schu: Why?  
  
kami: What do you mean WHY? Why not?  
  
Schu: Why?  
  
kami: *rips hair* I'M A FREAKING NICE PERSON!! THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER NICE PEOPLE AND NICE PEOPLE LEAVE REVIEWS!  
  
Schu: Why? *smirks*  
  
kami: X_X  
  
Schu: Mission accomplished ^_~ Leave reviews for Isa-chan!!  
  
kami: *croaks* ...why? 


	2. Intro: Ran

Disclaimer: They are cute...I wanna keep them, but unfortunately they have put up a restraining order against me! -____-;;  
  
Pairing: Ken/Ran Yohji/Omi (more pairings possible later)  
  
Rating: R (Why you ask? Ah I'm not sure yet but I think it has something to do with the pairings.)  
  
Schu: O_o Baka...  
  
*  
  
' These are thoughts '  
  
" This is spoken "  
  
*  
  
Isa: Here we are again, Schu is being such a good boy! *tosses him chocolate cookies*  
  
Schu: *turns chibi and munches on the cookies*  
  
Isa: Well I hope you like this chapter, and thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter! ^___^   
  
Schu: MORE COOKIES! *chibi pouts*  
  
Isa: *sighs and tosses him more cookies* Well at least he isn't teasing me!   
  
Schu: ^______^  
  
Isa: OH!! And in one of the reviews...someone (sorry I don't have the name here @ work with me!) mentioned that Ran should know Manx as Queen cuz of Crashers. Well that's true!! But since this is an A/U I'm totally skipping Crashers, Ran's going from his first team straight to Weiss! *bounces* So I don't know what he would have known her as. O_o So for the sake of my poor sanity...lets just say its Manx! *giggles*  
  
Schu: This hurts god...  
  
Isa: *smacks forehead*  
  
Schu: Sorry...had a Farfie moment! ^_____^ *goes back to munching cookies*  
  
Isa: Schu, you ARE a Farfie moment.  
  
Schu: ^____^ Enjoy the chapter! Oh, thanks to Kami-chan for being our beta-reader!!  
  
Isa: MY!  
  
Schu: *snickers* Our...  
  
Isa: O_o  
  
*  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
  
Yohji looked over at the brunette who was just finishing up pulling in the last few pots from outside. "I think Manx is just trying to help him Ken, you heard her? She said the guys had it pretty rough and this may not be a permanent thing."  
  
"Do I care?" He snapped, sighing a moment later when he saw the hurt look on the longhaired assassin. "I'm sorry Yohji, I just...I really didn't want another person in Weiss. I don't care if it's for a day or for a year!" There was silence for a moment as the two assassins finished cleaning up the shop from their day job. "I guess I am just afraid he's going to come in here...Omi, you or I will like him then he will die too!" Pulling down the shutters, Ken growled. "I'm sick of making friends...just to lose them."  
  
"I know how you feel."  
  
Chocolate eyes meet deep green as he sighed. "Do you really?" The eldest Weiss nodded, pulling out a cigarette. "Yohji...I don't know if I can be this man's friend."  
  
Sticking the cigarette into his mouth, he pulled back his hair thinking over those words for a moment. "You do what you need to do Ken, remember we are your friends...Omi and I."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Ken! Yohji!" They heard the door bang as the youngest of their group ran down the stairs into the shop. "That was Manx on the phone, our new teammate will be here tonight. I think that maybe this time around it might be better, you know?"  
  
"Always the optimistic one, no wonder I love you!" Omi blushed at the eldest assassins words; Yohji just smirked. "Ok, so the new guy comes tonight."  
  
The brunette looked from Omi to Yohji, shaking his head as the man flirted with the blond. After a moment he sighed, shrugging. "Great, and in a few months he will be dead and we will be three again!"  
  
Omi shook his head as he brushed back blond bangs from his eyes. "Ken, please don't be so negative about this. I know we didn't want another teammate but we have to have one. Now let's just try to be nice to him and hopefully we can all get along!" The youngest Weiss grinned, then ran back for the upper levels of their home. "I need to make sure his room is ready!"  
  
"Well, at least Omi is excited about this."  
  
"Omi is excited about everything." Ken answered under his breath, tossing the keys to Yohji so he could put them away. "Fine, we got a new guy coming...I'll be good but don't expect me to like him!"  
  
Grinning, the man winked. "I don't expect anything from you but for you to be a good boy."  
  
"Oh, ha ha...you are really funny."  
  
"Don't I know it?"  
  
The brunette couldn't help but smile. "Oh I'm sure all your women tell you that everyday."  
  
Green eyes narrowed, but Ken could tell it was in a playful manner. "At least I got a woman."  
  
"No, you have like five hundred women Yohji." There was silence for a moment, then both men grinned making their way upstairs to their living quarters.  
  
~  
  
Ran sighed, looking across the road at the building that stood there. To him, covering as flower shop boys was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of. Then again he wasn't going to complain in the least, as long as it got him out of that hospital. 'I had forgotten how much I hate those places.' He thought to himself. He would have felt a lot better if Manx had been able to accompany him, but something had come up at the last minute. 'They need her more than I do, I suppose. Though I would have liked her to be here...three against one is not the kind of odds I like.' Shaking his head, he got back into his car and pulled in behind the building.  
  
Inside the residence Yohji looked up at Omi ran down the stairs. "Someone just pulled up but I don't recognize the car!" He yelled, running for the back door. Ken and Yohji exchanged a look, standing to follow the youngest Weiss. "Wow, nice car!"   
  
Yohji looked out the window, shrugging. "My car is much nicer." He muttered, seeing Ken grin at the comment. "It's true!"  
  
"Yeah we all know that your car is the best." He responded, rolling his eyes as the made their way down the stairs. The two entered the room just in time to see Omi pull open the door, startling the man on the opposite side.   
  
Deep purple eyes widened as the door flew open before him, taking an involuntary step back he looked down at the small blond before him. 'He's only a child, what is Manx thinking? What kind of group is this?' He had never heard of Weiss, though Manx had told him they were one of the top assassin teams in Kritiker. 'Supposedly, they just have problems keeping fourth members.'  
  
The blond haired, blue eyed boy before him smiled as he held out his hand to greet him. "Hello! I'm Omi, I'm sure Manx told you about us...right?" When the silent man before him didn't respond, he dropped his hand back to his side. "Your name is Ran, correct?" The redhead simply nodded as Omi looked over the newest member of his team. Blood tinged bandage crisscrossed his forehead; while cuts and scrapes covered his face. From the way he was standing the blond could tell there were other injuries as well. 'Why would Kritiker and Manx send us an injured teammate?' He wondered, looking back up at the deeply colored eyes. "Well where is your stuff?"  
  
"My car." He answered, his voice was deep and cool. The leader of Weiss could tell this man was used to hiding his emotions from others. "I want...wanted to make sure I was in the right place."  
  
Nodding, Omi stepped to the side as he motioned their newest member to come into the house. "It's raining and you look cold, that can't be good for your injuries. Why don't you come in?" Ran nodded, stepping into the back room of the flower shop. His gaze immediately fell on the other two men that were standing by the stairs on the opposite wall. "Guys, this is our new team mate! Ran, that is Yohji...and the one behind him is Ken."  
  
The eldest Weiss nodded as he pulled out a cigarette. "So you're the new boy that Kritiker sent us, huh?" Violet eyes narrowed, a slight growl coming from the pale throat. "Hey! I meant to our group...you are easily offended aren't you?" The man asked, popping the cigarette into his mouth. "But you are an odd looker...you are Japanese, correct?"  
  
"Why?"   
  
"I just don't see many redheads around, and your hair is...really red. Maybe you color it?"   
  
"Yohji!" The brunette standing behind him on the stairs whapped him on the back of the head. Yohji simply chuckled, shrugging as he looked back at the other man. "Why are you always so rude?"  
  
"I was just asking, Ken!"  
  
Dark chocolate eyes fell closed as the tanned assassin shook his head at the eldest of them. After a moment his eyes reopened as he walked over to his newest member. 'I guess I should be nice, looks like he feels really out of place here. I supposed I'll just wait and see how he works out before I really get to know him.' Smiling at the redhead, Ken held out his hand. "My name is Ken, just ignore Yohji he doesn't have manners like normal people."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Omi could only laugh at the comment. "It's true, we need to teach you the finer points of etiquette again!" He looked back over at Ken and the redhead, seeing him drop his hand to his side. 'He doesn't seem very friendly, but Manx had said something about him being though a rough patch. Maybe he's still uptight from that, I'll give him some time.' Grinning once again, he ran past the two towards the stairs. "Come on, we should finish dinner, I'm sure Ran is hungry! Then we can help him bring his things into the house."  
  
"So demanding!" Yohji purred as an arm reached out, wrapping around the smaller boys waist. "I love it when you tell me what to do!"  
  
A blush broke out across the blond's cheeks. "Yohji, you flirt!" Poking the man in the side, Omi ran up the stairs, Yohji close behind him.  
  
"I'm not flirting, how many times do I have to tell you that!"   
  
Ken laughed, shaking his head at the two as they disappeared. "I'm sorry about them." When the man beside him didn't respond, Ken looked back over at him. He was watching the stairs, a half dazed look about him as if he wasn't really seeing what was going on. Reaching out, he laid a hand on the man's arm, seeing him flinch as he pulled away. "Sorry, I wanted to make sure you were ok?" Pain flashed across the purple orbs before being hidden once again. "Ran?"  
  
He blinked, pulling himself out from his chaotic mind. "I'm fine." With that he walked towards the stairs, Ken a few steps behind him. 'Manx, what have you gotten me into?' He thought to himself as he walked upstairs to where the other two men were waiting.  
  
~  
  
"You don't like him?" She looked at the three men before her, frowning for a moment. Manx had told Ran she needed to speak to the three men alone before she spoke with him. "What could he have done in under twenty-four hours?"  
  
The blond shook his head, gaining her attention. "No, he hasn't done anything." He replied. "It's just...well he acts a bit odd and he seems really quiet. You know us, we are loud and running around all the time...so we don't hate him. I guess he's just different from what we are used to."  
  
The woman nodded, understanding what they meant. She knew that people who didn't know Ran found his attitude very standoffish and many people had complained about it before. 'They have to understand that this isn't Ran, he's not always like this!' But in a way she knew this was how he was now, things had changed him over the past few years. Ran had grown quieter and started to push people away from him, but it was more of a protection for his mind and not that of disliking or distrust. "I know he seems...different, but he's not always like this. Situations have made him like that, especially in the last few months."  
  
Yohji ran a hand though his hair, looking over at Weiss's informant. "What could have possibly happened to him to close him off like that?"  
  
"Also, how did he get all those injuries?" Ken added, leaning his chin into his hands. "He has them everywhere!"  
  
The blond stood, walking up to her. "I was going to ask the same thing, why send up a wounded team member?"  
  
Manx sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Last question first." She said, crossing her arms. "Weiss is going to be put on hold." The three assassin looked at her, shock plain on their faces. "We want you to get acquainted with Ran, get him to trust you so you four can work as a team."   
  
"You want this to be a permanent thing." Omi said, confirming what he already knew. "If he can live long enough, he is going to be a permanent member of Weiss."  
  
She nodded. "I have no doubts in Ran's ability to survive, he will be your forth member." Walking over to her purse, Manx pulled out the file on him and handed it to the youngest Weiss. "His code name will be Abyssinian, Omi I want him to take over Weiss."  
  
"What?" The assassins yelled in unison.  
  
She looked at all three men, then breathed out. "Persia believes that Omi has unneeded stress upon him. He may be an assassin, but he is also a seventeen-year-old boy who...by law has to be in school. Believe me, Ran's is more than qualified to run an assassin group."   
  
"Yeah, sure." The eldest Weiss said. "That's why he looks like a fucking truck ran him over."  
  
The redhead nodded. "And he survived...which brings me to your other questions. Ran was with another assassin group, as of yet we do not know what went wrong. We weren't in contact with them for about six months and suddenly everything we had built was destroyed.   
  
Ken shook his head, not really understanding what she meant. "What happened Manx?"  
  
"All we know right now is that one of our top undercover teams was torn apart, three are dead, one is missing and one made it out alive...but barely."  
  
All three assassins exchanged a looked, then Ken breathed out. "I'm guessing Ran is the one that made it out?"  
  
"Yes." She responded. "Ran had been with them from day one of coming to Kritiker. In a blink of an eyes, and for no explainable reason his whole team has been destroyed. Ran, unfortunately is the only one who knows what happened. The doctors say his suffering from some form of forced amnesia, he doesn't want to remember so Ran's blocked it away. As much as I would love to just leave him be and let him put the situation behind him, Kritiker needs to know what went wrong."  
  
"Poor Ran." Omi whispered, blue eyes falling closed. "You think if we can get him to trust us, maybe we can get him to remember what happened?"   
  
Manx nodded once again, green eyes falling on each member. "Please, I need your help? Ran...that man isn't Ran, not the Ran that I knew. He doesn't trust and he's locked himself away from everyone. Something happened and he's changed drastically, we need to know." Her back hit the wall as she looked over at Omi. "When he first woke up he was still drugged, he said something about...whoever attacked them had been someone they knew. Though I hate to even think of this as a possibility Kritiker believes the team was torn apart from the inside. That the person who destroyed Ran's team was one of the members."  
  
Ken shook his head, chocolate eyes closing. "He's not going to trust very easily if that is the case Manx. How many people do you know can just accept another team when you were just betrayed by one?"  
  
"I don't know Ken, but please can you try?" She whispered, knowing that he would have the most problem with this. "I'm sorry to bring you such a problem case as a new partner, but believe me; Ran is a great assassin." The three members of Weiss looked at one another, slowly nodding. Manx let out a sigh of relief, pushing her body away from the wall that supported her. "Thank you."  
  
~  
  
Blue eyes opened slowly, looking over towards the alarm clock sitting on his dresser then cringed as he pulled the blankets back to cover his head. 'I would wake up at five in the morning on the one day I don't have to do anything!' A few minutes passed before Omi realized that he wouldn't be falling back asleep anytime soon, giving into his fate the blond pulled himself out of bed. 'I guess I can work on those files that Manx brought over last night.' They might not have been active, but Manx still found uses for Omi's hacking skills. Stumbling out of his room, the youngest assassin made his way down the stairs and towards the kitchen doors. Entering the doorway, Omi paused looking towards the table. The newest member of Weiss sat there, a cup of coffee on the table before him as he stared blankly at the wall. "Ran?" When the man said nothing, the blond walked over and laid his hand on the man's shoulder.  
  
The redhead flinched, pulling away from the touch. Omi took an involuntary step back as the older man looked up at him. "What?" He whispered, looking away from the blond a moment later.  
  
When he saw that Ran wasn't going to snap at him, or flash him that glare they had grown so use to over the past few weeks, he pulled out a chair and sat down. "How long have you been down here?" Omi whispered, seeing the violet eyes glance over at him.  
  
"What time is it?" He asked, looking down at the coffee cup sitting on the table. Obviously it had been a while, seeing that his drink was no longer hot.  
  
Omi shrugged. "It's just after five in the morning." He answered, seeing the man's eyes slide closed as he leaned back into the chair. "I couldn't sleep anymore and came down to work on those files that Manx had brought over yesterday." When Ran didn't respond, the younger assassin sighed. 'He's not really opening up to us at all, but then again Ken keeps shooting him looks every time he walks into a room. Maybe they don't like each other? Maybe they are just being stupid? I know Yohji doesn't care...but I really want to! Maybe I should just face that fact that this isn't such a great idea, him being here with us. Maybe I'm just an idiot for thinking up all of this?' Frowning at his train of thought, he looked back at Ran. "So?"  
  
Breathing out, his eyes fell on the blond. "So?"  
  
"How long have you been down here?" He asked once again.   
  
"I'm not sure." He responded, standing to pour out the now cold coffee. "I couldn't sleep."  
  
The younger man couldn't help but smile; usually their silent companion didn't volunteer information like that. "What was wrong?" He then asked, wondering if maybe the man actually wanted to talk this time. "Bad dreams?"   
  
Ran turned, his hand rising to rub the fading scar across his forehead. "I can't really remember...it seemed more like memories." He said, surprising even himself. 'Why am I telling him this?' He thought, seeing the young man smile even more. 'Is this what he wanted? Just to get to know me, to have me talk to him? Why do they even care?'  
  
"Do you think your memories are coming back?" There was an excitement that the redhead couldn't quite place. "I am sure that would make Manx and Kritiker very happy!"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Nodding, Omi jumped out of his seat and made his way over to the fridge. "I'm going to make some breakfast, would you like me to make you something?"  
  
"No." The blond frowned; inwardly Ran couldn't help but sigh. "Thank you." He then finished, reaching up once again to rub the scar. "I'm just tired, I'm going to go back upstairs." Turning to walk out of the room, a hand closed around his wrist a moment later. He paused, looking back down at the youngest member of Weiss.   
  
"Here!" The silent redhead looked down at what the man was holding, taking it a moment later. "You keep rubbing your head, I thought you might have a headache. You should take a few of those and go get more sleep, lucky for you the store is closed today!" Nodding, he walks over of the room and up the stairs before disappearing from view. 'Maybe there is hope for you yet, Fujimiya Ran.'  
  
~  
  
Yohji shook his head as dark eyes narrowed. "You are being really stubborn about this KenKen."  
  
"I am not!" He snapped, glaring at the man. "He is the stubborn one and I don't like him...and don't call me KenKen!"  
  
Yohji rolled his head back, meeting the blue eyes of the blond. "See, stubborn." He heard Ken growl again, smiling back at the youngest assassin. "Hot tempered too, and to think you two didn't like me when I first came." A slight pout crossed his lips, as he gave the young man his best -pity me- look.  
  
"We liked you." Omi whispered, a slight blush crossing his cheek. He always got like this when Yohji gave him that look. 'He's always flirting with me, but I don't know if he's serious or not...he says he is.' But the logical side of his brain kept telling him that Yohji was nothing but a big playboy.   
  
Ken nodded. "We just thought you were a big loser."  
  
Omi sighed while Yohji just sat there with a smirk on his face. "Now, now KenKen...don't get all grouchy with me cuz the Ice Princess pisses you off!"  
  
"Ice Princess?"  
  
Both men looked back at Omi, Ken frowned while Yohji just shrugged. "Yeah its the playboy's new name for Ran." He said, seeing the blond shake his head. "I don't use it, just Mr. Idiot here does. Then again I try not to talk to the man at all. Come on Omi, he's like the prick of the universe? He's like...I don't know, I can't even compare him to something!"  
  
"He's not that bad!" The youngest man finally snapped, sick of all this bickering and teasing. "Something bad happened to him and teasing him, calling him names..." He shot a look at Yohji. "None of this is going to make him trust us more! Now I talked to him this morning, he didn't say much but I think his memories might be returning. He said he couldn't sleep because of bad dreams or something."  
  
Yohji snickered at the look that crossed Ken's face. "What? Shocked that the redhead actually has feelings and emotions? How many times do I have to tell you this...redheads are odd. But they have this hidden fire in them and they are great in bed!" He couldn't help but laugh when the tanned assassin blushed, covering his face with his hand. "Aww, KenKen's got a crush!"  
  
"I DO NOT!!" He yelled, grabbing a pillow and smacking the man a few times.  
  
"Ran..." Yohji looked up at Omi, then to the stairs as Ken stopped pounding him with the pillow. The redhead stood there, one brow arched with an expression none of them had ever seen before. "Did you get any sleep this time?" The blond asked, hopping over to the silent man's side. "Did the medicine help?"  
  
Nodding, he walked down the remaining stepped to stand beside the blond. "Thank you." He then said, violet eyes falling on the other two assassins. "What is going on here?" Both men looked at one another for a moment, Yohji smiling at him while Ken tossed the pillow back onto the couch. Ran watched as the tanned man walk over, sitting down in a chair. 'He doesn't like me, I can tell by the way he looks at me. Then again I don't think any of them really like me.' Breathing out, dark purple eyes closed. "Maybe this was a mistake."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Me..." He answered. "I think I was a mistake, my coming into your group. I'm going to speak to Manx, ask her to remove me." All three men looked at him, the shock plain on their faces. "I'm sorry for being a problem to you, disrupting your home." With that he turned, walking out of the mission room.  
  
The three assassins just stared at the staircase for a moment, then Yohji shook his head. "What the fuck?"  
  
"I don't know." Omi whispered, suddenly concerned.  
  
The brunette breathed out, standing. "Maybe we should go talk to him?"  
  
"Wow." Dark eyes met green. "KenKen is actually concerned for the prick? Hurry, call an ambulance I think I'm gonna have a heart attack!" A pillow once again smacked Yohji across the face.  
  
"Don't call me KenKen!" He snapped. "Asshole..." With that said, Ken followed the redhead out of the room.  
  
~  
  
kami: Yoroshiku minna-san! Kami-chan desu! Isa-chan no tomodachi desu!  
  
Schu: Will you PLEASE stop showing off?!  
  
kami: Iie!  
  
Schu: Why? WHY? Why must you murder the language?  
  
kami: Nihon-go ga suki desu!  
  
Ken: ^^;; At least she tries  
  
kami: ... . Damnit, how do you say, "leave a review for Isa-chan" in   
Japanese?  
  
Schu: *points and laughs*  
  
kami: ;_; *chibifies and chases after a laughing Schu*  
  
Ken: ^^;; Leave Isa-chan reviews!! I need to see how this story goes!!  
  
Everyone: *at Ken* -_-  
  
Ken: *confused* Whaaaaat? 


	3. Forgotten

Disclaimer: Schu: FIGHT!! FIGHT AGAINT THE FIC WRITERS WHO THINK THEY OWN US!!!  
  
Isa: *shakes head* What a baka...  
  
*  
  
' these are thoughts '  
  
" these are spoken "  
  
*  
  
Isa: Here we are, another wonderful (yeah right) chapter!  
  
Schu: It better be wonderful, I helped you write it!  
  
Isa: You really are into yourself, aren't you?  
  
Schu: ^___^  
  
Isa: Oh yes!! I made a mistake...in the beginning of the last chapter I answer a question someone had about Manx and Queen. My bad, heehee see what I get for being at work and not having the info in front of me! Manx and Queen are not even the same people. Queen was the blue haired chick that worked with Crashers. The other name Manx was known by was Erica, which THAT would have been what Ran most likely knew her as. Gomen for the mistake! But like I said...seeing this is A/U and for the sake of my poor sanity I'm just gonna say he knew her as Manx. ^_________^  
  
Schu: Are you done?  
  
Isa: *sweatdrop* No respect I tell ya...  
  
*  
  
Thanks to Kami-chan,my ever-faithful beta-reader who's just the greatest person you could ever know!! *GLOMPS*  
  
Schu: *sniff* I love that woman!  
  
*  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
The redhead raised a hand to her forehead, trying to fight the headache that was forming there. Ran had contacted her less that an hour ago with one request, to be removed from Weiss. 'I don't understand what is running though any of their heads!' The four assassins had only been together for just under two weeks and he already wanted to leave them. Manx didn't want to think that it was Weiss that was turning him away, but himself. 'Ran still doesn't know what happened, Persia is getting furious. I would too, losing four of our top Kritiker agents...there is no reason behind it.' Pulling up to the shop, she saw the closed sign hanging in the window. "That is odd." Driving around back, she entered though the rear entrance into the boys' home. Three of the four assassins sat in the living room, the blond stood. "The shop is closed?"  
  
"We figured you would be coming today, needing to talk to us about Ran." The young assassin replied, the two men behind him nodding in agreement. "He told us he didn't want to stay here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
The eldest of the group stood, shrugging. "Something about ruining our home." He answered, seeing the jade green eyes of the informant fall closed. "You know what he means?"  
  
Manx nodded. "Just as you three consider one another family, Ran looks upon teams as established homes. As I told you, he was with the same four men for a little over two years. Like you three, he had made connections with them. I believe all of these problems are coming from the fact that he believes you can't understand him." She answered, setting down her purse. "Do you know where he is now?"  
  
"Left." Ken replied, seeing a brow arch on the woman. "Something about going to see someone."  
  
"Ah, yes Aya." That confused the three members of Weiss, Manx could tell. "Aya...she is..." Pausing, the redhead breathed out as she wondered how to explain Aya to them.  
  
Yohji breathed out, reaching for his cigarettes. "What? His girlfriend...maybe his wife?" He couldn't help but laugh. "Wouldn't that be fucked up, the Ice Princess has a lover." Ken simply frowned as Omi shot the man a look. "Was just a suggestion?" He then said, an innocent expression slipping into place. Both men rolled their eyes, looking back to the redhead.  
  
"No, Aya would be Ran's sister." She told them, sitting down in the chair beside her. "She was the reason he was brought into Kritiker."  
  
"Dragged in because of a woman, wow I would love to meet her!"  
  
Green eyes narrowed at those words. "She wouldn't be very much company, she's been in a coma for over two years."   
  
Yohji went silent at hearing that, sitting back down on the couch. "Damn."  
  
"Manx?" The redhead turned to look at Omi. "What happened to put Ran's sister into a coma?"  
  
"Takatori." That name made all three men growl in disgust. "Ran's father worked for him for many years, helping him with financial situations." She went on to explain. "Well something went wrong and Takatori decided to place the blame on the Fujimiya family rather than face it himself. His mother a father were killed in an explosion, he and his sister happened to be right outside when it occurred and Aya was hit by debris from it. She has been in a coma ever since that happened."  
  
Ken flopped down into the chair behind him, resting his hand on his hands. "So Ran works for Kritiker to get revenge?"  
  
Manx nodded. "Also so he can afford his sister's hospital bills, that isn't cheep. Ran lost everything when his father and mother were killed, his home...all the savings his father had in his name, everything."  
  
"So the rich kid lost everything and became an assassin?" The eldest Weiss put out his cigarette, looking back up at her. "What a bitch."  
  
"What about his last team?" The blond asked, sitting down beside Yohji on the couch. "You mentioned that three were dead and one was missing, how where they killed?  
  
"An explosion." Blue eyes went wide as she said those words. "Actually we examined the bodies and they were dead before the explosion occurred." She paused for a moment, looking back up at the three men. "Please, I need you to talk Ran into staying with your group. I need him to be someplace that is stable, I'm worried about him."  
  
Ken stood, rubbing the back of his neck before he turned to look down at their informant. "You really care for him, don't you?" Green eyes fell closed at those words.   
  
"Yes, I really do care about him Ken."  
  
~  
  
"He wants you to stay, to mire in your thoughts."  
  
Violet eyes went wide at those words before closing. "Manx, I don't belong here."  
  
She sighed, looking over at the other three men before her eyes fell on the redhead. "I'm sorry Ran, but Persia has made his decision and has denied your request to leave Weiss." Pale hands tightened into fists for a moment, before falling open once again. "He believes once you get used to being here that everything will get better, you will feel more at ease with them."  
  
"Persia doesn't know me." He whispered, dark eyes opening once again to meet hers. "Obviously you don't either, if you did you wouldn't make me stay here. I don't belong here Manx, not with them! This isn't what I am accustomed to...please, ask Persia again?"  
  
Omi looked over at his other two teammates; Yohji was looking out the window while Ken leaned against the wall. 'They aren't going to say anything, no wonder Ran feels so out of place here...no one wants him here!' Growling, Omi walked up to the two redheads, grabbing Ran's arm. The older man pulled away, shocked by the contact as he met the clear blue eyes. "I want you to stay Ran!" This made the other members of Weiss look up. "That morning in the kitchen, I really felt like you wanted to open up to us! I think maybe we could be friends if you just give us a chance?" Manx smiled down at him, thankful that one of them spoke up. He thought he saw those violet hues soften for a moment before he looked away from the youngest assassin.  
  
Manx reached out, resting a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Ran, we don't have any other place to put you if you leave Weiss." The man pulled away from her touch, taking a few steps back from her. "Please, just do as Persia says and stay with Weiss."  
  
"Who are you fooling Manx?" He whispered, his eyes glancing over at the other three men in the room. "There is no place for me, not anymore." Taking another step back, Ran pivoted as he made his way for the stairs. "I should have died with my team."   
  
"Ran!" She yelled, seeing that he wasn't going to answer her. "He doesn't mean that, I know he can't mean that!" She growled, glancing towards the blond. "Omi, please keep watch on him. I know he just needs to get used to you and everything will be ok."  
  
"I can try." He responded, looking back at his two teammates. "All of us will try from now on."  
  
He couldn't believe that Persia had done this to him, all the years he had been faithful to Kritiker. 'Why did they do this to me? I don't want to be here, I want to be back in Kyoto with the others...but the others are dead. Why can't I remember what happened to them...to us?' Though it was warm in his room he couldn't stop the shudders that ran though his body. Pulling the picture frame he held closer to his chest, he felt something warm and wet run down his cheek. 'No, I won't cry...I refuse to cry because of this! I'm not a child anymore, I'm not...I'm not...' His thoughts were disrupted as someone came to close to him. This startled Ran and the frame slipped from his hands, with a bang the glass littered the floor from the impact.  
  
"I'm sorry." Both men kneeled down, grabbing for the frame at the same time. Only then did Ran look up, seeing exactly whom it was who had entered his room without him knowing. "I didn't mean to scare you like that." He whispered, dark chocolate eyes looking from him to the picture. "Was this the team you lost?" He could only nod in reply; Ken frowned as he picked pieces of broken glass off the photo. "You look happy." He said, handing the picture back to the redhead. "If you want I'll replace the glass for you."  
  
Ran only shook his head, standing back up. "No, it's fine."   
  
"Yeah." Breathing out, Ken looked around the room that the redhead had occupied. "You don't have a lot of stuff, do you?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
The brunette glanced back at him, meeting his oddly colored eyes. "Just thought we could talk." The silent man turned, walking over to his bed to sit down. "Maybe we can get to know more about one another."  
  
"There is nothing to know."  
  
Crossing his arms, the man shook his head at Ran's lack of communication skills. "I'm just trying to be nice to you." He replied, walking for the door.  
  
That made Ran look up. "Why? You have never tried before?"  
  
"True." He answered, turning once again to look at the pale redhead. 'I can't read him, but I can tell he's in a lot of pain. It's not physical pain anymore...no now it's mental, he misses his teammates. I know if Yohji and Omi were killed it would destroy me. So why can't I try with him?' His mind finally made up, he walked over and sat down beside the older assassin. "I have been an asshole, we all have been. I guess it's just because no one seems to be able to make it with us, everyone we get ends up dead." Leaning back on his elbows, Ken stared up at the ceiling. "I guess I just didn't want to be your friend cuz I was afraid I would like you."  
  
"Then I would be gone..."  
  
Ken turned to look at the man as he whispered those words. "Yeah, then you would be gone." There was a pause, then he pushed himself back up. "You gotta admit; you kinda come off as a prick." Violet eyes narrowed at the tanned assassin at those words. "Well you do, all quiet and staying to yourself. Look I am really sorry for being such an asshole to you, ok?" He nodded, but didn't respond. "Will you at least try to talk more?" Once again the glare that the redhead seemed to have down pact fell upon him. "Just a question, don't get all ruffled."  
  
"Maybe."   
  
The brunette shook his head. "Nope, you are gonna have to do better that that! So, are you gonna talk to us more? You could even try hanging out with us, you know...act human?" Yet again that glare was directed at him. 'Wow, three in the matter of a minute! I must be getting good?'  
  
"Are you always this annoying?" Ran asked the man beside him, standing to put the picture back where it had been. "Or are you only trying to annoy me?"  
  
"Just you."  
  
The redhead turned slowly, deep purple falling on the man sprawled across his bed. He couldn't help but feel a slight smile tug at the corner of his mouth. The man was cute, but rather annoying and might find himself at the end of his katana one day. "It's working." Once again the brunette smiled, the warmth from that softening his features. If I say I will try, will you leave me alone?"  
  
Ken's eyes closed for a moment, before he looked back up. "Nah, but I will try to be nicer to you." He replied, pushing himself up and off the bed. "Look, we are going to be taking missions together, we have to trust one another."  
  
"I know."  
  
"So?" He asked, walking up to the redhead. "Will you try?"   
  
The redhead's body trembled as the tanned assassin smiled at him again. He didn't know why he was putting up with this younger man's immature nature, but there was something about him that stirred something in Ran. "I will try." He finally whispered, hoping it would get him to leave his room so he could be alone to figure out his emotions.  
  
"Great! You can start now." A hand grasped Ran's own hand, pulling him for the door.   
  
"What are you doing?!" He snapped, trying to pull his hand away from the searing touch. "Will you let go of my hand please!" He pleaded, feeling the assassin release him.   
  
Ken just looked at him for a moment, Ran was breathing hard from the panic attack and his face was flushed. "Ran?" When he didn't respond the brunette took a step closer to him. "Ran, are you ok?" The redhead nodded, his eyes closed as he tried to calm himself down. "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
After a moment he shook his head, violet eyes opening to look up at him. "I...no. I just panicked and I..." He sighed, brushing away scarlet bangs from his eyes. "I don't know why, I just felt...odd."  
  
"Ok." They stood there for a moment in silence. "Ran?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Ken smiled slightly. "Will you still come downstairs with me?"   
  
After a moment the man nodded, following the brunette out of his room. 'What was that?' He thought, closing his bedroom door. 'Why did I panic like that? I felt...but it wasn't Ken...it was...' As fast as the memory came it had gone, once again he was left confused by his actions.  
  
~  
  
  
Isa: *sweatdrops*  
  
Schu: *looks around* Didn't Kami-chan write you a closing for this chapter?  
  
Isa: *nods*  
  
Schu: ...ok  
  
Ran: Isa-chan was cleaning out her mail and though she copied it...well obviously she was wrong.  
  
Isa: *sighs*  
  
Ken: Its ok Isa-chan, mistakes happen! Does anyone remember what it said?  
  
Schu: Something about Isa-chan being a bit upset that not as many people reviewed this chapter.  
  
Isa: *shrugs* Maybe people hate the story?  
  
Schu: Whatever...  
  
Ran: *glares* Hate? How can they HATE something I am in?!  
  
Ken: He's so...what's the word?  
  
Schu: Obsessed with himself?  
  
Isa: Crazy?  
  
Ken: ...that works.  
  
Ran: Shi-ne...all of you.  
  
All: -______-;;  
  
Schu: Please leave a review...and hopefully Isa-chan will remember to SAVE the ending next time.  
  
Isa: *sighs* 


	4. Trust

Disclaimer: I don't own them, but they can own me? ^____^  
  
*  
  
' Thoughts '  
  
" Spoken "  
  
*  
  
Isa: Thank you to everyone who liked the last chapter, I appreciate it greatly! *glomps you all* Here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it as well!  
  
Schu: Of course they will, I am your muse after all!  
  
Isa: O_o Oh yeah, like that assures a lot!  
  
Schu: _  
  
Isa: Enjoy! ^___^  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
Ken breathed out, rolling over in his bed as dark brown eyes opened to stare at the ceiling. 'Why can't I sleep?' He thought to himself, looking towards the window. 'I was tired earlier, but now I just can't seem to rest...what a pain.' It had been a month since the night he had gone to speak to Ran, a month since Persia had made the redhead stay with Weiss. The tanned assassin sat up in bed, glancing over at his clock. It was only three in the morning and he knew he had to be up at seven. Suddenly, and without reason, he found his thoughts going back to the newest Weiss member. 'Ran really hasn't opened up to us, but at least he's not avoiding us.' Ken found his thoughts turning more and more towards the quiet man who now lived in the room beside him. 'I can't decide if I wanna smack him or if I wanna kiss him? Out of everyone, he should be the last person making me feel like this!' It was no secret to the other two Weiss assassins that Ken preferred men to women, but he had never met someone that he could really commit himself to. 'Guess that is changing...but why does it have to be him?'  
  
Tired chocolate eyes fell closed as he once again tried to relax, but nothing seemed to be working. No noise came from the house; only the rain outside could be heard as it drowned out the cars on the street below. Every few minutes the wind would rush by, pounding the tiny raindrops against his window. It was actually a soothing noise, but he still couldn't rest. Opening his eyes again, Ken glanced over at the clock...fifteen after three. It had only been fifteen minutes since he had last looked; the brunette could tell this was going to be a long night. Suddenly another sound broke though the wind and rain that seemed to be dominated his senses. Sitting up in the bed, Ken pressed his ear to the wall, once again hearing the sound. It was a low moaning, almost like a whimpering or crying and it was coming from Ran's room. Pulling back the covers, he walked over to his bedroom door and slipped into the hallway. Making the few steps from his door to Ran's, the brunette tapped lightly on the wood.  
  
"Ran?" There was no answer from the man inside. "Ran...I'm gonna come in." Pushing open the door, the first thing he noticed was how cold the redhead's room was. His window was open, the rain coating the ground with water as the wind flipped up the curtains. Running over to the window, Ken pulled it down, grabbing the towel that was on the chair. 'Oh well, Ran may kill me...but then again he might kill himself if he slipped in this.' Tossing the towel on to the puddle, he walked over to the bed and sat down beside the man. "Ran?" The redhead laid there, blankets pulled close around him as he breathed hard. Reaching down, the brunette laid a hand on the pale forehead feeling the heat coming off his skin. 'He's burning up, no wonder he opened his window.' Frowning, Ken pulled the covers down and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. Ran whimpered at the contact, his body pulling away from the touch. "You have to wake up Ran!"  
  
Ran reached up, covering his ears as his eyes closed tighter. "No..." It came out as a hoarse whimper, the trails from his tears still evident on his flushed cheeks.  
  
Ken growled, his hand resting on the assassin's cheek. It was obvious that the newest member of Weiss was ill, but he had been fine a few hours before at dinner...or had he? Ran did have a way of hiding things from the other members of the team, if he had been feeling ill, would he have told them? "You have to get up, it's freezing in here." The stubborn crimson haired man continued to ignore him, shivering in the bed. 'Damn him, damn his fucking insecurities...damn all of this! If he wants to stay in here and freeze to death its his fucking funeral!' Standing, Ken took a few steps towards the bedroom door then stopped. Growling to himself for being to intrigued by the older Kritiker agent, the brunette walked back over to the bed and pulled Ran into his arms. "Sorry Ran, but I'm not going to let you stay in here and suffer when I can do something about it." He whispered.  
  
"Please..." He responded, violet eyes opening slightly. "Ken...don't." The brunette just ignored him, as he carried his burden down the hall to his room. Once inside he laid the man down in his own bed and pulled the blankets up around him. "I don't..."  
  
"What?" He asked, sitting down beside him. "You don't want me to help you? You don't want to live? You're sick, I'm not going to sit and let you do this to yourself! We are your teammates, and if you would let us...we would be your friends." Deep purple eyes slid closed as his head fell to the side, blood red hair making him look even paler than he was. "Just let me take care of you, please." When Ran didn't respond he figured the man had either given in or passed out, either way he was in Ken's bed and warm. "Maybe you will let me take care of you this time, Ran."   
  
~  
  
He was cold and it was dark, he really couldn't tell what direction he was looking or where he was. All he knew was the scent of blood was heavy around him, the blood of victims...the blood of his teammates. Something had gone wrong; he knew that much from the scene that lay before him. The concrete below him was stained scarlet, the blood running in rivers away from the bodies that lay around him. 'No, this isn't happening...I know this can't be happening. All of this is a dream, I'll wake up and everything that has happened will have just been a bad dream.' Violet eyes squeezed closed, his mind trying to will away the sight before him  
  
'But isn't that how you forgot in the first place?' A voice asked, making the young assassin look up.   
  
Ran could see nothing in the darkness around him, but the voice sounded familiar to him. 'What do you mean?'  
  
'Kritiker wants to know what happened to your team, but you won't tell them.'  
  
'Can't!' He snapped, glaring at the darkness. 'I can't tell Kritiker because I don't remember!'  
  
'You don't remember because you don't want to remember.' The voice answered.  
  
The redhead stood, his hand automatically reaching for the hilt of his katana. 'I don't know who you are or what you want with me but you better leave before I kill you!'  
  
'I can't leave...'  
  
'Why?' He asked, taking a step towards the darkness. 'What are you?'  
  
'I am as guilty as you, the same blood that stains you stains me.' The voice replied. 'You forget your sins, but I have not.'  
  
'I don't understand...' The redhead looked down at his hands, the blood covered sword still in his grasp. 'What do you want from me?' He whimpered, his katana slipping from his fingers; hitting the ground a moment later. The blood from the hilt and blade splattered across the floor.  
  
When he heard nothing come from the oddly familiar voice, he looked up in confusion. Then, out of the darkness came a glint of sliver and he felt nothing but pain. The Katana that had been in his grasp only moments before now lay imbedded in his chest, blood flowing from the wound like a crimson river. 'Face yourself, face your sins...face what you helped destroy.'  
  
'Ran?'  
  
'What do you mean?'  
  
'Ran, please!'  
  
'Why are you doing this?'  
  
'Ran please...'  
  
'Please tell me, why didn't I die with them...'  
  
'...answer me!!'  
  
Violet eyes flew open as Ran sat up, his body slamming into an object before him. Instantly he felt something around him, restraining him. "No!" He growled out, his voice rough. "Please, no...don't touch..." He tried to breath in, tried to understand what was happening but his lungs ached. Everything hurt; even breathing was a struggle for him. 'I'm dying...'  
  
"Shhh..." A voice whispered; brushing back sweat soaked bangs from his face. "You're ok Ran, the doctors on his way now." Nothing would work in his mind, but he did know that voice even if he couldn't place it. The assassin knew as long as the voice was near that he was safe, though he couldn't understand how he knew that.  
  
"How is he?" Another voice asked; breaking the quiet understanding in his thoughts had created.  
  
"I don't know." The man whispered, running his fingers back though Ran's hair. It was soothing, pulling him deeper into the warmth. "I brought him in here a few hours ago, he's only gotten worse."  
  
"Well he did leave the window open, what do you expect." A third voice said. "His own fault that he's ill."  
  
"Yohji, I think he did it after the fever hit him." There was a pause, but those hands never stopped touching him...never loosened their hold on his body. Ran couldn't help but push his flushed skin closer to the person holding him. The hand that was running though his hair paused for a moment, before continuing on with their ministrations. "I-I think, perhaps he wasn't in his right mind when he did that."  
  
"Is he ever in his right mind?"  
  
"Yohji!"   
  
"Ow! Come on cutie, I'm just teasing!"   
  
Someone growled in the distance, but the person holding him chuckled slightly. "You deserved that, Yohji."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. So...how about the kid and I go downstairs and watch for the doctor? Hmm Ken?"  
  
"If you would?" He answered.   
  
'Ken...Ken is holding me?' Dark purple opened, meeting the deep blue shirt before him. He could see a tanned arm wrapped around him and feel the younger assassins breath in his hair. "Ken?" His voice was jagged and breathy; nothing like it normally would have sounded.  
  
"I'm here Ran, I'll stay with you till the doctor comes." Ran looked up slightly, feeling Ken's lips brush his forehead. "You're still burning up, I was worried about you." The concern in his voice was evident, not feigned in any way.  
  
'He was really worried about me? But why, I thought he hated me...though he has been kinder to me. I just thought that was because of Manx?' His mind had determined its way; all he could do was trust the man holding him so close. Violet eyes fell shut as he rested his body against the younger assassin. "Thank you..."  
  
"Your welcome Ran." With that, the redhead fell into an uneasy sleep still wrapped in the tanned killer's arms.  
  
~  
  
"...so he will be fine."  
  
"When?"  
  
There was a pause. "Give him a week, then bring him in to see me." Ran opened his eyes, turning his head to look at the four men that stood in the room. Three of them he knew, but the fourth was an older man he had never seen before in his life. Grey eyes met his own and the man smiled. "I see you are awake now? Are you feeling any better?" Ran said nothing.   
  
"He's kinda quiet." Ken replied, making his way over to sit down beside the redhead who now occupied his bed. "You're looking lot better, Ran." Ken saw rich purple eyes dart from him to the older man and back again. "He is a Kritiker doctor, we called him over to take care of you." He noticed that Ran seemed to relax at those words, his eyes falling closed once again. 'When did I start reading him so well, that I can tell with a look what he wants to know?' The bed shifted as Ken stood back up. "I think he's going to rest for a while, but thank you for coming over so quickly."  
  
Nodding, the doctor grabbed his case. "If you need me, call." Seeing the brunette nod, he turned to walk out of the room.  
  
"I'll show you to the door!" Omi piped, smiling as the two walked away.   
  
Yohji watched the two for a moment, then turning, he looked back at Ken. "You sure you're going to be ok taking care of him?"  
  
Ken nodded. "Yeah, anyway I am sure you would rather work in the shop with Omi that take care of Ran."  
  
"This is very true."   
  
Ken grinned, knowing that it was true. After a moment he looked back over at the self-proclaimed playboy. "Yohji, why don't you just tell Omi flat out how you feel about him?"   
  
The eldest assassin said nothing, then smiled at his friend. "Like he would believe me." Was the answer, the man breathing out in slight frustration. "I figured all the little things I keep throwing at him would be a sure sign."  
  
"Not when you're still hitting on all the girls in the shop and, basically being an idiot. I think Omi might be confused on what you're actions really mean, Yohji."  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
He nodded, walking up to the taller assassin. "I'm sure that's what it is. You know, Omi did always tell us that straight forward honest was always the best. Just go and tell him that you love him."  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Yohji!" Ken shook his head, glaring at the man for a second before walking over to the table where the doctor had left Ran's medicine. "If you don't do it, I don't wanna hear you complaining about how you missed your chance."   
  
"Evil...you are evil." He saw the ex-soccer player smile, making his way back over to the sleeping redhead. "Does that mean your going to tell the Ice Princess that you're falling for him?" Ken's whole body froze, dark eyes meeting Yohji a moment later. "I can see it Ken, you never acted like this with him before. Suddenly you are all buddy-buddy and taking care of him?"   
  
"Am I that obvious?" Ken whispered, his eyes falling on the man lying in his bed. "I thought I was hiding it better than that."  
  
"I admit, at first I wasn't sure. You know, with your whole speech about not wanting to get close. But then I saw the way you would look at him when you thought no one was watching." Yohji paused, pulling out a cigarette. "Actually, he looks at you too."   
  
A blush crossed his cheeks as Ken shook his head. "I'm sure its not because he loves me...or even likes me."   
  
Yohji just rolled his eyes, stepping out into the hall. "Well, good luck KenKen." With that he walked up, hearing the brunette growl at the nickname as he left.  
  
Looking back down at the sleeping assassin, dark eyes wandering over his features. Ran really was beautiful, even now with his pale skin and scarlet hair. He knew when those eyes opened he would be met with the most beautiful royal purple eyes he had even seen. Though, a few hours prior those perfect features had been twisted in pain. 'You were dreaming, something was wrong in that dream. Ran, are your memories coming back? Was what happened really that awful that you make yourself suffer like this?' Sighing, he went back to figuring out the dosages on the medicines the Kritiker doctor had left.  
  
~  
  
Yohji leaned against the counter, watching as the young blond helped a woman who had come in the store. She had been looking for a bouquet of flowers for her daughter's birthday, Omi had been more than happy to help the woman in her search. Looking down, the older assassin noticed that he was flicking his lighter on and off in a nervous gesture. 'Well what do you expect Kudoh, you wanna tell the kid how you feel about him. All you have been able to do is flirt with him, and if Ken is right, the poor mans not sure what to think of all that.' Shoving the lighter back into his pocket, Yohji growled at his conscious for making sense and went back to watching the man that held his desire.  
  
Though Omi was oblivious to the older teammates true feelings, he could tell that he was staring over his way. 'He probably thinks the woman I am helping is cute.' He though, frowning to himself. He knew it would be too much to hope that any of Yohji's teasing had been serious. The two men he considered his friends and family both looked on him as a younger brother, not as a potential lover. 'I care about Yohji a lot, but I don't want to ruin what we have right now. If I told him how I really felt would I push him away from me?' Glancing back up at the customer, she nodded, confirming that she had decided.  
  
"Are you sure you can have them done by tomorrow morning?" She asked.  
  
Omi smiled, his whole facing lighting up in an almost childish manner. "I promise, by ten in the morning." The woman seemed satisfied with that answer, following the blond up to the register. "Yohji?"  
  
He nodded, pushing himself up from his slouched position. "Yeah?"  
  
"Could you please ring her up and put this ticket over with the others for Ken?" Seeing him nod, Omi walked away to clean up the mess he had been trying to work on before the customer had come in. 'I don't think I should say anything...Yohji will never love me the way I love him. I suppose I'm a fool to think otherwise...' A hand on his shoulder made him jump as he turned to meet jade green eyes. "Yohji!"  
  
"Sorry." He answered, taking a step back from the younger male. "I...you know it's almost lunch and since Ken's taking care of Ran..." He paused, looking out the window. 'Wow this is harder than I thought it would be.'  
  
"Yohji?"  
  
The taller man looked back down at the bright blue eyes pointed in his direction. "Do you want to go eat with me, Omi?"  
  
"Eat?" He squeaked, a blush crossing his face. "Ah, I mean...go to lunch with you?"  
  
"Yeah." He answered, smiling at the younger males frustration and confusion. "You know, like a date."  
  
"Date?!" The blond just stood there shocked. Yohji was asking him to go out to eat, like it was a date? If the man hadn't been standing before him with that look on his face that said he was enjoying his confusion, Omi would have believed he was dreaming. "You want me to go out with you?" He nodded, a few strands of golden-brown falling in his face before he brushed them back. "Why?" He whispered.  
  
Yohji shrugged, never taking his eyes away from Omi's. "Cuz I like you." He finally said.   
  
"Like me?"  
  
Now Yohji was getting annoyed. 'Sometimes this boy is just to innocent for his own good!' Grabbing the blond's wrist, Yohji pulled him to his body as he pressed his lips to Omi's. The younger assassin just stood there, eyes wide with shock.  
  
'He's kissing me...Yohji is kissing me?' He thought it would be harder than this; that his mind would have been awash with confusion. It wasn't so, his mind simply shut down accepting the kiss as if it were an everyday thing. Once his mind had accepted it, so did his body. Sky blue eyes slid closed as he pushed his body closer to the man kissing him. When Yohji pulled away Omi kept his eyes closed till he felt fingers brushing his cheeks slightly. "Y-Yohji?"  
  
"I like you a lot, Omi." Blue eyes widened once again as he whispered those words. "I've been trying to get you to see that for a while now, I suppose you thought I was just teasing you." Omi nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "I'm sorry about that, I never wanted to hurt you." He laughed slightly, his face hovering just above the blonds. "To think, it took Ken telling me I was being an idiot for me to admit how I feel about you. I don't want to ruin our friendship, but I needed you to know."  
  
"I feel the same."  
  
Green eyes widened for a moment before a true smile broke out on Yohji's face. "You mean that?" Omi nodded, returning the smile with one of his own. Wrapping his arms back around the smaller man's waist, the eldest Weiss brushed back blond bangs. "Now, how about that lunch?"  
  
"Yes." He whispered, still surprised that this had happened. "Where do you want to go?" He then asked, pulling off the apron and turning the -open- sign to -closed-.  
  
"That is your choice sweetie, I'll treat."   
  
Ken watched as the two walked out the door, locking it behind them then disappeared from view. 'Good job Yohji, I'm proud of you.' The brunette walked back up the stairs smiling at the good deed he had accomplished for the day. 'Now to work on my own problems.' He though as he made his way up to his room and the redhead who was there.  
  
  
  
  
*  
  
Isa: So there is Chapter 4, I hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review if you would! ^___^  
  
Schu: Yeah reviews are great!! *taps fingers waiting for reviews to start coming*  
  
Isa: Impatient much...  
  
Schu: ^______^ Yep! 


	5. Love?

Disclaimer: Don't own them, but I can borrow them...can't I? *EG*  
  
" Spoken Words "  
  
' Thoughts '  
  
*  
  
Isa: Well here we are again! ^___^  
  
Schu: YAY! *runs around*  
  
Isa: Ignore him, he's on a sugar rush. 0_o Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review so I know what you think. Thankies!  
  
Schu: YES, THANK YOU!!!!!  
  
Isa: -_______-;; Muses on sugar rushes are odd.  
  
*  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
"We have a mission?"   
  
The redhead nodded, handing each assassin a folder. "Kritiker feels that the four of you have been together long enough, therefore you will work this mission together." She saw the ex-soccer player frown. "Is there a problem with that, Ken?"  
  
"Ran, he just got over being sick," Was the reply as Manx look past him to the redhead standing against the wall behind him. "Are you sure you want to do this now?"  
  
"I am fine."  
  
Ken turned; meeting the violet eyes of the man he had just spent the last two weeks caring for. "Yeah, sure you are." Those same eyes narrowed at that response. "I just don't want you having problems out there, remember you're covering our backs." There was no response from him, looking back at Manx he just shrugged. "So what kind of mission are we talking about?"  
  
Seeing that the attention was now turned back on her, Manx continued with the information. "Slavery and kidnapping." She said simply, the youngest member shuddered. The redhead knew that would bother Omi, she knew his past and knew such talked troubled him. But it was mostly the fact that Omi still couldn't remember his past that bothered him more than the kidnapping. "The man kidnaps them from their home, then sells the children for profit. You are to kill him and take any files from his computer that you can find."  
  
"You're hoping to find some of the children and get them back?"  
  
The blonds voice sounded hopeful, but Manx refused to respond to that. "You will give us any files you may find, Omi." He nodded. "Now are all of you in?" All four assassins nodded, then looked at one another for a moment. "Thank you, and good luck. All the information you will need for this mission is in those folders. You are to pull this mission off and have it complete by the end of this week." With that she turned, walking out of the room.  
  
"Ran?" The silent man looked up at Omi. "Are you sure that you are ready for this?"  
  
"I am fine." He said once again, his arms folding across his chest. "Believe me, I wouldn't endanger other people." Omi seemed satisfied, smiling for a moment before looking down at the paper work.   
  
Standing, Yohji walked over to his lover and looked over his shoulder. The two men had told Ran and Ken the same day the eldest man had admitted his feelings. "So what are we gonna do, sweetie?" The other two members walked over, Ken leaning on the table as Ran stood slightly behind him.   
  
"Looks like we may have to go in two teams, he has guards." The blond paused, looking over a few more pages. "This also shows that the first two floors are going to have heavy security and cameras."  
  
Ken thought this over for a moment, and then frowned. "So how are we going to get in?"  
  
There was silence for a moment as Omi looked over the drawings before him. "I'm not sure." He finally answered with a shrug. "I'll look up all the information I can on the area and the building. If there is a way to get in, I will find it." He saw Ran nod, then turn to walk out of the mission room. "Do you have any input?"  
  
"No." He said, looking back at Omi. "You just tell me how to get in and I'll kill anyone I run into." With that, he made his way up the stairs and out of the sight of his three teammates.   
  
Yohji shrugged, sitting down in the chair beside the blond. "Well, did we really expect him to act any different during a mission than he always acts?" Ken glanced at the eldest Weiss, then shrugged. "Here I thought you were pulling him out of his shell."  
  
"I took care of him, Yohji."   
  
"I'm sure you did." A smile broke out across his face as he winked at Ken. "I'm sure he appreciated everything you did for him as well."  
  
"You are sick!" Brown eyes went from Yohji to Omi. "Are you really sure you love this idiot?"  
  
"Maybe you should be asking yourself that, KenKen!" The brunette smacked his forehead at the hated nickname Yohji tended to call him. "Have you admitted that you like him...maybe love him?"  
  
Glaring at the man, Ken turned and walked for the stairs. "I am not discussing this, especially with you!" The door slammed a moment later as the tanned assassin left the room.  
  
"I was just trying to help him, you know bring out his inner perverted self."  
  
Omi rolled his eyes, looking down at his lover. "That's the problem, Ken's not perverted like you." He couldn't help but laugh at the shocked expression on Yohji's face.   
  
~  
  
Three Days Later: Mission Night  
  
Omi looked over at Ken who was sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace, his feet were propped up on the coffee table as he stared at the ceiling. He hadn't spoken in a while, the only sound coming from his Bugnuk's, as he pressed the triggers over and over. Silver blades slid in and out of the leather gloves that covered both hands making a hissing noise against the sheaths. "Is he ok?"  
  
Yohji looked up from his weapon to glance over at Ken, then looked back down. "First mission jitters, you know him." The blond nodded, sitting down beside his lover. "He's probably nervous that something might go wrong, then we will be down another member again."  
  
"I guess it's worse this time because he actually likes Ran." Blue eyes glanced over at the stairs that led up to the bedroom. "Speaking of, have you seen him?"  
  
"About a hour ago when he walked up there to get ready, why?"  
  
The youngest assassin said nothing for a moment, then glanced back over at Ken. "Did Ran tell you what kind of weapon he uses?" He asked the longhaired man beside him even though blue eyes were fixed on the brunette with the claws.  
  
"No, but I didn't ask."  
  
"Hmm." The blond turned, glancing at the clock above the back door. "We have to get going, its almost one and we need to be done by three."  
  
Yohji nodding as he stood to make his way over to the stairs. "Hey Ran, we are leaving!" There was nothing for a moment, and then a door closed and they could hear footsteps. "About time...come on KenKen, pull yourself out of it an lets get going." The younger assassin growled, flipping him off before tightening his hand on the trigger again. "Cute."  
  
"I'm always cute." He responded, pushing himself out of the chair and made his way over to the blond. "So is Ran ready to go?"  
  
"Yes." All three looked up as the last member made his way down the stairs. The redhead was dressed in black from head to toe, making him look deathly pale. Ken looked him over as he stepped up to them, one scarlet brow arching. Loose leather pants covered black boots; a tight sleeveless black shirt was tucked into the pants. He wore short, black gloves and had a long leather coat thrown over one arm while a long black padded tube was on the other shoulder.   
  
Ken could feel his heart as it began to beat faster at the sight of the redhead. 'Damn, he looks good! Why doesn't he wear tighter clothes more often?' After a moment he noticed the looks both Omi and Yohji were giving him. Throwing them a dirty look, he went back to checking out the slightly taller assassin that was standing beside him.  
  
"Are we going?"  
  
Omi nodded, handing him a transmitter and a com. "I want you to wear both, if something goes wrong we want to be able to find you." Ran nodded, fastening the transmitter to his shirt then put the com into his ear. Omi handed him a small black pad. "If you get lost, or need to find one of us you just turn that on. It will tell you our position and the fastest way to get there. I have downloaded the specs and outlay of the building into it."  
  
"What if the enemy gets a hold of this?" He asked. "They could find you as well."  
  
"Impossible." Omi answered, pointing to a corner on the tracker. "Just say 'Weiss' in there and it will turn on, it is set to recognize or voice patterns. If anyone else happened to get their hands on it, it would be a useless piece of plastic."  
  
"I'm impressed." He whispered, slipping the small tracker into his pocket. The blond couldn't help but smile at the compliment.  
  
Yohji grinned, pulling out a cigarette. " Well Omi had always been well prepared." Once again the youngest assassin smiled, shaking his head.  
  
"We need to go." They nodded, walking out of their home and into the night.  
  
~  
  
Persia looked up at Manx, as she finished speaking. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from her mouth. "He was what?"  
  
"Killed by a sword." She said flatly, looking down at the files. "The examiners say that is how Shion died before the explosion. The found multiple abrasions to his upper body that signifies that he did fight whoever was trying to kill him. He had also been stabbed though the heart, the other two were found with the same types of wounds."  
  
He just sat there, a blank look on his face as he thought this over. Persia had been hoping that the examiners might be able to shed some light into what had happened. Sure, they had gotten more information regarding the deaths but that hadn't helped him get any closer to the actual killers. "There are many groups that could have done something like that," Persia whispered, leaning back into his chair. "I need to know exactly who killed my team."  
  
"That is all the information we have on the subject." She responded. "The investigators that we sent out to Kyoto have also returned, I have their report. No foul play seems evident, there was nothing hinting at the team being attacked. The only thing we did find was a report that Shion had been about to mail out. It stated that Kikyou seemed to be growing instable and was worried about him."   
  
"Have we found his body yet?"  
  
"No sir, we have yet to find Kikyou's body, it's almost as if he just disappeared." Pulling out the investigation file, she sat it on his desk along with the first one. "Do you think that he could be a possibility?" The man didn't respond to that. "I could try speaking to Ran again, but Omi says he hasn't mentioned anything about his memories coming back."  
  
"Manx? Would you consider this to look like an inside job?" He asked, knowing that was the last thing that the redhead would want to hear. He knew this group had been hers, along with Weiss. In Manx's eyes, her teams would never turn against one another, green eyes narrowed at that suggestion. "We can't pass up the possibility that Kikyou might have done this. If that turns out to be true; if he did do this then Kikyou might go after Ran to finish the job."  
  
"Then Ran may be in danger, perhaps I should tell him."  
  
Persia nodded. "Then again, Ran might have been involved as well." The leader of Kritiker didn't miss the disbelieving look at those words. "You don't believe that Ran is capable of something like that?" He asked, seeing her look down. "His whole family was destroyed before his eyes, that can drive a person to extreme states of emotion...even insanity. "  
  
"I don't..." She whispered, not finishing her words.  
  
"You believe in him."  
  
It was more of a statement than a question, but she had to respond. "You know I do." The redhead said a moment later. "I have to believe in him, I was the one who brought him into this mess. When I first saw him, it was after his family had been attacked and his sister had been put into a coma. Persia, there was something about him..."  
  
"I know."  
  
There was silence for a moment then Manx spoke once again. "So now what do we do? We have a possible inside job with three dead Kritiker members. We have an assassin missing who might be anything but stable and one who can't remember anything that happened."   
  
Persia reached out, grabbing the two files off his desk. Glancing over them, he spoke a moment later. "Speak with Ran again, try to see if he remembers anything at all. Even then smallest memory might help us figure this out. I hate all these questions that don't seem to have any answers."  
  
"I will try, but I won't assure anything." She responded.  
  
He nodded, understanding her position. "Do what you can."  
  
"Persia? You get the feeling that there was something more going on in that group, don't you?" She asked, seeing him look up at her. "You think there is something they weren't telling us?"  
  
"Unfortunately I do, and Ran is the only one who can answer those questions for us." Nodding the redhead turned to leave. "I want to know how his first mission with Weiss went, I expect a report as soon as it is complete."  
  
Manx glanced back at him, and then walked out the door. 'Persia suspects something and won't tell me. I can't believe that one of them might have turned against their team, especially Ran. I need to speak to him, find out what happened and soon.'  
  
~  
  
Siberian's fist went forward at full force, as the claws imbedded themselves into the targets chest. Blood splattered across his features, liquid heat against his skin as he pulled back and the man hit the floor. For a moment he just stood there, crimson liquid rolling down his glove, dripping to the floor a moment later. A slight smirk crossed his lips as dark eyes fell on the, now still figure he had killed. Though he would never admit it to his teammates, he enjoyed the hunt and the kill. 'Maybe that makes me crazy?' He thought, absently wiping his hands on his pant leg. 'I don't think Yohji and Omi would understand, and Ran...'  
  
'He does seem more like you than the other two.' His conscious whispered to him. 'A killer, perhaps someone who, like you, enjoys talking human life?'  
  
'I enjoy taking the lives of those who would hurt the innocent.' He answered back, though he knew he was only arguing with himself. Breathing out, Siberian reached up to press the button on his com. "Mission complete."  
  
"Great job Siberian." He could tell the small blond was happy, a moment ago he had been complaining that it was talking too long. Not to mention that the mission had been slightly harder than they had expected. There had also been more manpower on scene than they had previously thought, and their way in had almost tripped off an alarm. "I want everyone out of here in three minutes, understood?"  
  
Siberian nodded out of habit, though he knew the young man couldn't see him. "Got it."  
  
"Balinese?"  
  
"On my way now."  
  
"Abyssinian?"  
  
There was no answer.  
  
"Abyssinian, copy?"  
  
The tanned assassin stopped in his tracks, dark eyes wide with concern. Now that he thought back on it, they hadn't heard from the redhead in the past few minutes. He hadn't even said anything when Bombay had started bitching about the mission taking too long. "Abyssinian, its Siberian...please copy?"  
  
Still there was no answer.   
  
"Siberian, you are closer to him than we are." Bombay's voice said over the com. "Go up the stairs one level then take a left, he's there and his signal isn't moving."  
  
"I'm on my way now." He replied, turning to go back the way he came. Pulling open the door to the stairwell, he took the steps two at a time making his way up to the next doorway. "Abyssinian!"   
  
"Can you try being a little quieter?"  
  
"Fuck you Balinese!" He heard the eldest assassin growl slightly, but didn't respond back. Making his way down the hall, he paused to turn on the tracker. 'He's right here in this area, but where?' Growling, Siberian shoved the thing back into his pocket. "Abyssinian, answer me!"  
  
"Siberian, Balinese and I are one floor below you."   
  
The brunette didn't respond, looking down each hall as he passed. The man was about to throw a major fit when he finally found what he was looking for. The redhead was at the end of one of the last halls he had come upon. He stood, unmoving, bodies littering the ground around him, staining the carpet a deep red. "Abyssinian!" Bolting down the hall, he was beside the pale assassin a moment later. "Hey, are you ok?" Ran just stood there, violet eyes wide with confusion and shock as he stared at his hand. The bloody blade he held wavered as a shudder ran though his body. "Abssin..." He paused, his voice dropping as he pulled off one of his gloves to cup the man's cheek. "Ran, please look at me?" The pale face was splattered with droplets of blood from his killing, much like his. The silent redhead said nothing, this only pissed the hot-tempered assassin of even more. 'He doesn't answer us over the com, he froze up on a mission? What the fuck? Manx said he had killed before!'  
  
"Siberian?"  
  
"What!" He snapped, pulling his hand away from the redhead's cheek.  
  
"We are coming down the hall now, is everything ok?"  
  
Dark chocolate eyes closed as a growl escaped his throat. "I don't know! Abyssinian's not talking..."  
  
"Shit..."  
  
"Balinese!"  
  
Ken frowned, pulling off his com and threw it across the hall. It hit the wall, breaking into a few pieces and fell to the floor. "Ran, look at me." He begged, trying to get the man to snap out of whatever had him acting like this. ""Damn it, talk to me!" He snapped, his hands tightening into fists. After a moment the brunette couldn't take it anymore, punching the redhead hard. The katana clattered to the ground as Ran's shoulder hit the wall.  
  
Angry violet eyes looked up, narrowing. "What the fuck?"  
  
"What is your problem!" Siberian snapped back. "We tried to get a hold of you..." He yelled, hitting the redhead in the shoulder. "...and y-you fucking ignored us, stupid prick! All I could think was that you might be dead! Damn it, I was worried about you, you fucking bastard!"   
  
His eyes went from anger to confusion, seeing how worried the brunette had been for him. It was an odd feeling to know he cared, but for some reason Ran was glad to know someone cared. After a moment the assassin breathed out, pushing himself away from the wall. "I-I...what happened?"  
  
The anger that had been so strong in him moments before washed away like water, leaving the smaller man confused as well. 'Why is he asking me what happened? Shouldn't he know why he froze?' Taking a step forward, dark eyes met the oddly colored purple of his teammates. "Why don't you tell me, Ran?" He asked, watching as the older assassin shook his head slowly.  
  
"I was following though with the mission, no problems at all. I had no problem killing them...then I looked down and I saw the blood..." He paused, raising one hand to set it against his cheek where the tanned assassin had hit him a moment before. "I felt like something was wrong, like I had done this before...but it was wrong somehow..."  
  
Ken shook his head, resting a tanned hand on top of Ran's gloved one. "You have done nothing wrong, perhaps it memories from the past?" He whispered.  
  
He pulled his hand away but Ken continued to keeps his on Ran's cheek. Leaning into the touch, the redhead thought those words over then shrugged a moment later. "I'm not sure what it was." He answered honestly as violet eyes fell closed. "Ken, why is this happening to me? I didn't ask for any of this to happen to me...a-and everything is so confusing." He heard nothing, then a warmth flowed though him as he felt the brunette's mouth cover his. Deep purple eyes flew open in confusion as the assassin continued the kiss.   
  
Ken had hated the confusion he heard in the redhead's voice, wanted to help him figure out why all this was happening. But if Ran couldn't figure it out, what kind of help would he be? 'I don't know his past, or his first team. There is nothing I can say to make him remember, all I can do is be his friend.' But in many ways he wanted more than just friendship, which was like a blow to the head. He hadn't felt this way about anyone since he had become an assassin, his didn't want to love anyone. 'With Ran, this fucking game is all backwards. Nothing makes sense when I am with him, maybe we are too much alike?' As he though this over, he hadn't realized that he had moved closer to the assassin before him. The kiss had been an unconscious decision, shocking him just as much as it shocked the redhead. He was glad he did it though; when Ran didn't pull away Ken wrapped his arms around the older man to pull him closer. After a moment he felt hands on his arms as the man relaxed against him, opening his mouth so the kiss could deepen. 'He's accepting this? He wants me to kiss him...'   
  
Omi couldn't help but smile at the two men as they kissed. "I'm glad for them."  
  
"Glad that Ken kissed him or glad that the Ice man isn't totally ice?"  
  
The blond glared up at him, shaking his head. "Yohji!"   
  
"Personally, I'm glad Ken punched the mother fucker." Another glare from his younger lover and Yohji could only grin. "Come on sweetie, we need to break them up and get out of here."  
  
The smaller man frowned. "It's a shame to have to break them up."  
  
"Have I told you lately that you are a total romantic?"  
  
Blue eyes brightened. "Yep!"  
  
"Come on, let's get those two and get out of here." He said, grabbing his lover's hood and pulling him. "Then we can ask why he froze." Omi frowned as the longhaired brunette dragged him towards their teammates.  
  
  
~  
  
kami: I REALLY REALLY liked that chapter!!  
  
Ken: Me too!!  
  
Ran: I as well.  
  
Schu: *cracks knuckles* Time to get to work! *look at kami, Ran and Ken*  
  
Ran/Ken/kami: @_@ *entranced by Schu's power*  
  
Schu: This always gets them folks! ^_~  
  
Ken: *konked out* Leave reviews for Isa-chan...  
  
Ran: *in flat voice* Yeeeesss...reviews...  
  
kami: *arms raised like a zombie* And make sure they are positive reviews...  
  
Ken: Yaaah-esss...That flame that person left really hurt kami-chan and Isa-chan...  
  
Ran: I have orders to "SHI-NE" that person...  
  
kami: Yeeeeeesss... So why don't you leave nice things...  
  
Ran: That would work...  
  
Ken: @_@ Schu is the hottest bishie in the world...  
  
kami: Take me, Schu-sama...  
  
Ran: Yeeeesss... *blinks and wakes up* HELLZ NO! KEN! KAMI-CHAN WAKE UP!!  
  
Ken/kami: O.O errr...  
  
*all three look at Schu*  
  
Schu: Meep... 


	6. Alone

Disclaimer: I wish I could have them…but they could prove hazardous to my health.  
  
Farfie: YES!!! *stab stab stab*  
  
Isa: O_o  
  
*  
  
" Anything in this " is spoken  
  
' Anything in this ' is thoughts  
  
(( And this )) is Schu speaking mind to mind  
  
*  
  
Isa: Woohoo look at me, I'm rocking!!!  
  
Schu: No, you are just lazy.  
  
Isa: *frowns* you too, Mr. Muse!  
  
Schu: *sighs* Mental abuse mental abuse!  
  
Isa: Whatever! Get back to work!  
  
Schu: And here I thought you loved me…  
  
Isa: Please review so he will be happy again! *sweatdrops*  
  
*  
Chapter Six  
  
Omi's attention shifted from his laptop to the brunette as he walked down the stairs into the mission room. Dark eyes looked from the blond to his older lover sitting over on the couch, no sound left his lips. It was as if he was waiting for the words he knew would come from the two assassins before him. "How is he?" Ken arched a brow, looking back towards their youngest member. "Ran? Is he going to be okay?"   
  
"I think so." The man whispered a moment later, unsure of how to answer that question. "He's being silent about what happened."  
  
Blue eyes fell from the brunette back to the report he was typing up on his laptop. "Most likely the action caused a memory in him to stir and he was unsure of what was happening. That might have instigated a flashback to the night his team was killed, Ran did seem shaken."   
  
Ken nodded, stepping over to the desk that Omi sat at. "He did say that it felt wrong, the action. It confused me at first, but then I was thinking…did Manx tell you how his first team was killed?"  
  
"She said it was an explosion, didn't she?" Both looked over at Yohji. "Three were dead and one was missing, that Ran was the only survivor that they knew of."  
  
Omi thought this over for a moment, sighing a moment later. "Well we don't know the full story and it's obvious that Ran doesn't remember."   
  
Dark eyes strayed to the computer screen for a moment, before he looked back at the young blond. "Omi? What are you going to tell Kritiker about the mission?" When the assassin didn't respond, Ken breathed out. "Are you going to tell them what happened?"  
  
Fingers paused on the keyboard as he thought over those words. "Ran, he has problems that can not be fully understood. I wish I could help him, seeing he is so much like myself." There was a pause as the blond breathed out. "I guess my point is this, it's not his fault that happened and we can't blame it on him. But we need to talk to Ran, make sure that this problem of his doesn't happen again." Ken nodded, agreeing to everything that he had said. "As to informing Kritiker, the mission was completed and no one was hurt, that is all they need to know for now."  
  
"What happened wasn't his fault." Both assassins glanced over at the eldest Weiss member, one in shock as the other smiled at him. "Yeah, Omi talked to me while you were taking care of Ran. Manx told us right off that he might be a problem case, that we should help him. I guess I haven't been doing a good job of that, the helping part."  
  
Omi nodded at his lover, touching the tanned arm of his friend. "We all need to help Ran work past…whatever is causing him to act like this. We need to be what he really needs right now; we need to be his friends. He has Kritiker giving him orders, constantly bugging him about remembering what happened. It's not fair that we are pressuring him and pointing out every wrong."  
  
Ken couldn't help but smile at the two men. "So we help him more? I know he's a good person, he just has a bad past…well at least it seems like he does and I really want us to help him."  
  
"We will help him Ken, and we will do it as a team."  
  
"Thank you, Omi, Yohji." Both nodded at the brunette. "I'm gonna go back up, make sure he's okay."  
  
They watched as the man ran up the stairs and out of the room. "We will do our part." Yohji whispered, the young blond looking over at him. "The question now, is will he be willing to accept the help we want to offer him. Nothing we do will matter if he isn't willing to listen, to open up to us and let us in."  
  
Omi nodded in agreement, pressing the send button on his computer. "I think Ken will be a major part of the process, Ran is already opening up to him a bit." The two just sat there for a moment in silence, blue eyes falling on the longhaired brunette a moment later. "Yohji?"  
  
Glancing towards the voice, he arched a brow. "What is it, sweetie?"  
  
He pushed away from the desk, making his way across the room to his lover. Sitting down beside him on the couch, Omi leaned his head against the older mans shoulder. "Are we doing the right thing?"   
  
Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around the smaller man. "You know we are." Yohji reached up, brushing long bangs out of Omi's eyes before kissing his cheek. "Ken really likes Ran," He whispered. "It would be hard on him if Kritiker decided to take him away now. I don't think our hot-tempered tiger would respond too well to that."  
  
"You're right." Shrugging, the smaller assassin leaned against his lover. "I guess all we can do is take life one day at a time." He saw his lover nod in agreement with those words. "Ran will be okay, we will get all of this figured out."  
  
Yohji couldn't help but smile at his lover's positive attitude. No matter the situation, he was constantly looking to the bright side of every predicament. "Yeah, we will all be fine."  
  
~  
  
Muffled thuds echoed on the staircase as Ken made his way up to the training room and roof. After he had spoken with Yohji and Omi, he had been excited about their decision. He wanted Ran to know that they were all going to support him, help him, but the redhead had been missing from his room. After looking in the kitchen, living room and spare rooms, he figured the training room and roof were his last options. A tanned hand rested on the handle for a moment, before pulling it open. Ken walked up a few stairs into the main training room; it was empty as well. 'I know he didn't leave, we would have heard him if he had left… then again, he is a quiet one.' Walking out of the room, he glanced up at the door that led to the roof. "Might as well check." He mumbled to himself, taking the last flight of stairs and pushed open the door.   
  
Ran stood on the opposite side of the roof, looking towards the city. He had always liked heights, even when he was a child he had been drawn to the roof of his home, which often has ended with his mother throwing a fit. But it had been so beautiful back then, the shades of a sunrise or the hues of the sunset, the stars at night as they gave what little light they could to the darkness. But then there was the other side of him, the side that wanted the heights for another purpose. There was something about it that called to him, standing at the edge, knowing if he took one more step it could mean his death. Of course when he had been a child, those dark thoughts had never crossed his mind. 'There is a sense of freedom when I am like this, like I can't be hurt.' He thought, wondering why he felt that way. Ran could feel a memory pulling at his mind as it tried to crawl to the surface, but it never came, staying just out of reach.  
  
"Shouldn't you be wearing a coat out here?" The redhead frowned as that voice pulled him out of his thoughts and banished the memories he was trying so hard to remember. "Well, if you are gonna stand out here, do you want me to bring you a coat?" He then asked; Ran turned to meet the dark eyes of the one who spoke to him.  
  
One scarlet brow arched in question, glancing over the brunette's clothes. "You aren't wearing one." He then said, violet hues looking back out over the city.  
  
Ken breathed out, looking down at his T-shirt and jeans. 'Yeah, well that makes sense…in a way that doesn't. Man, I'm an idiot!' Walking over to where the redhead stood so he could stand beside the silent man, looking out over the city. "What are you looking at?" He whispered, for some reason it seemed wrong to be speaking at the moment.   
  
"The night."  
  
He nodded, glancing in the direction of the violet eyes. "It really is pretty up here, I never took the time to look around." Ran glanced at him for a moment before looking away once again. Ken couldn't help but sigh as he leaned against the short wall that separated him from a three-story fall. "You like being alone, don't you?"  
  
"I don't know." Once again he looked at the slightly shorter man beside him. "Why…" Dark eyes met his, causing him to look away once again, glancing over the city before him.  
  
The brunette pouted, resting a hand on the pale one beside him on the wall. "Why what?"  
  
"Why did you kiss me?"  
  
Ken's face reddened at those words, pulling his hand away. "Oh, that…" Breathing out, he shrugged as his eyes fell to the roof below him. "I don't know, when you didn't answer I was scared. I guess seeing that you were okay, it was such a relief and I overreacted."  
  
"That was the reason?" He whispered, confusion once again setting in. He didn't believe the man's words, not when his kiss had said so much more to him. But then again the man seemed nervous, so Ran didn't take the words in defense. "I thought there might have been more to it than that."  
  
Playing with the hem of his shirt, chocolate eyes glanced up at the last sentence the redhead had whispered. "Did you want it to mean more?" He asked, knowing that was probably the stupidest thing he could have asked. Deep purple eyes fell closed as Ran let out a sigh, shaking his head a moment later. "I'm sorry Ran, is that what you want me to say?"  
  
"No, I don't need you to say anything."  
  
The tanned assassin huffed at those words, turning to look back over the city. "You know I just don't get you sometimes, Ran!" He growled. "You totally intrigue me sometimes and at other times you flat out annoy me!" Those words made the redhead look up, actually interested in the man's ranting. "I want to get to know you better, but then there are times that it seems like you deliberately push people away, I don't get it! I wish you would explain it to me, because I don't know how you want me to act when I am near you. You are so hot and cold and I keep thinking that I'm going to say something wrong and you are going to hate me!"  
  
"I see." He answered, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Someone once told me, cast emotions aside, cast love aside, cast vengeance aside and then you will be at peace."  
  
Ken frowned at that. "Who told you crap like that?"  
  
"Crap?" He couldn't help but frown at those words, ready to snap at the brunette beside him. Then it hit him, he honestly couldn't remember who had said those words to him. A second ago it had been so clear, he could hear the voice echoing in his head, then it was gone. He wanted to cry, to break down and voice his frustration, but he couldn't and he didn't know why. "I can't remember." He said simply a moment later.  
  
Those words made Ken sigh; here he was picking a fight with a man who couldn't defend himself. 'How pathetic is that.' He turned, glancing at the man beside him. Watching him for a moment, Ken reached out, laying one tanned hand over the redhead's own. "I'm sorry about that...what I said a moment ago."  
  
"Don't be, I suppose I am used to it." Violet eyes looked down at the hand covering his own, an emotion running though him he couldn't place. Pulling his hand away from the wall and Ken's gentle hold, he looked up to meet his eyes. "I don't want you worrying about me anymore."  
  
"But Ran, I...we..."  
  
The roof door banged open as Yohji stuck his head out, green eyes finally spotting the two men. "Are you crazy? You trying to freeze to death up here?" Ken frowned; Ran only looked away, his eyes once again gazing over the city. "Come on, Manx is here to talk."  
  
~  
  
Manx looked up, pale green eyes glancing over the last two members of Weiss; one being the exact person she had come looking for. She knew it could have waited, telling Ran what Persia and she suspected; but there was a fear inside. A fear that nagged at her and wouldn't leave her alone, a singular sense that told the informant something wasn't right and it all revolved around the one person she had promised to protect. "I'm glad you are all here, we need to speak about a situation that was just brought to our attention."  
  
"What's wrong, Manx?"  
  
She glanced over at Omi, frowning as she did so. "Kritiker has received the results of the Kyoto incident, that is why I am here."  
  
"Results?"  
  
"Yes, Ran." He frowned, obviously wondering what she meant by those words. "Kritiker had sent a team down to analyze everything that was left in the home your group lived in. They have been down there the last month going though the files and your team's belongings. We now have an idea of what occurred and it happens to be the one suspicion we were hoping against." She looked back to Ran, taking a few steps towards him.   
  
Pulling out his pack of cigarettes, Yohji glances at the woman. "So, what happened?"  
  
"Before I continue, I need to know one thing. Ran, have you remembered anything yet?"  
  
He shook his head, breathing out as he did so. Ran knew that Manx and Kritiker were looking to him to put the pieces of puzzle together, but he just couldn't do it. "I keep getting flashes, feelings…but as soon as I get them they are gone."  
  
"That isn't what I wanted to hear, but it can't be helped." Manx responded, sitting down on the couch. "I don't know what to tell you Ran, Kritiker doesn't blame you for this situation and it isn't your fault you can't remember."   
  
The redhead kneeled down, taking her hands in his. For a slight moment, she could have sworn she saw worry and what was akin to fear flash across his eyes, before fading to a deep purple void. "What has happened? What did Kritiker find up in Kyoto that has you so stressed out?"  
  
Jade eyes fell closed, her hold tightening on the pale hands in her grasp. "This isn't going to be something that you want to hear Ran, but it must be said." There was a pause as she ran the words though her head once again, but they still sounded false to her. "Kritiker believes this was an inside job, that Kikyou was involved with the destruction of the Kyoto team." She saw the shock in his eyes as he took those words in. "It is the only explanation, the team was killed by a sword before the explosion occurred. You are the only one alive who knows how to use a sword; Kikyou is missing and can as well. Ran, you barely escaped that place alive, that only leaves Kikyou as the suspect."  
  
"No…" Pulling away from her, he stood taking a few involuntary steps back. "Impossible, he…t-they were my team! None of us would have ever done anything…no I won't believe that is what happened!"  
  
"Ran, listen to me." She pleaded, standing to walk towards him. "We found a letter that Shion was going to send, he said that Kikyou had been acting odd as of late. He said he was afraid that Kikyou was having problems and had trepidations for him and the team."  
  
"No."  
  
"Shion had also suggested that the team go though an evaluation, he never would have said these things if something wasn't wrong on your team, Ran!" The redhead stepped away from her, his back hitting the wall as he slid down to the floor cradling his head in his hands. "Ran, please tell me what happened with you, with all of them? Persia believes something was going in with all of you, but he won't tell me."  
  
Shaking his head, pale hands tightened, pulling at his hair. "I don't remember!" He snapped, slamming his head into the wall behind him. "Why can't all of you just leave me alone? I don't know what happened, I can't remember, I can't remember…"  
  
"Stop!" Ken yelled, falling down beside the redhead, pulling him into his arms. "He doesn't remember, just leave him alone! If he knew he would tell you, coming in here telling him things like this…Manx it isn't fair."  
  
"If he doesn't remember, than how can he say Kikyou didn't do this?" She responded.  
  
The brunette growled as Ran stiffened in his arms at those words. "Please, just leave him alone right now." Manx was about to respond, when Ken looked up at her. "Please, Manx?"   
  
She simply nodded, walking towards the stairs. "Watch him, if Kikyou did do it, he may come back looking for Ran. We need to keep him alive, he's the only thing we have left of that group. If he dies we may never know the truth of what happened up there." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.  
  
Yohji breathed out, looking at the man in Ken's arms. "That was…odd."  
  
"But logical, if he did do it…which I'm not saying he did." Omi whispered. "He might feel that his personal mission isn't complete until Ran is dead."  
  
Ken sighed, coaxing the pale hands to release his hair. "You're hurting yourself Ran, please stop?" After a moment his hands fell away as he buried his face into the brunette's chest. Ken simply smiled at the man, brushing tanned fingers though the scarlet locks. "Everything is going to be okay, I promise you."  
  
~  
  
Schu: Where am I in all of this? I'm her muse, shouldn't I always have a very important part in her fics?  
  
kami: Schu! Don't you try it! This is her story, not yours! *whaps him*  
  
Schu: *growls*  
  
kami: ^^;; Well, folks, leave nice reviews! Look! The pretty button beckons you to click it! 


	7. Discovery

Disclaimer: I wish I could have them…but they could prove hazardous to my health.  
  
Farfie: YES!!! *stab stab stab*  
  
Isa: O_o  
  
*  
  
" Anything in this " is spoken  
  
' Anything in this ' is thoughts  
  
*  
  
Isa: Well I didn't get to many reviews for this story but I want to finish it. Thanks to the three people who did review though, I appreciate it! *purrrs*  
  
Schu: Three?  
  
Isa: Hai, but that is better than none at all. =^____^=  
  
Schu: ...... ok =^_____^=  
  
Isa: Enjoy the next chapter!  
  
*  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Manx walked out the back door of the building, pulling out her cell phone before dialing a number she knew by heart. "This is Manx, he doesn't remember anything yet." She paused, and then nodded. "Yes sir, but when I mentioned Kikyou, he reacted badly, seemed upset that we would suggest such a thing. Do you think that this might clear him of the actions? I know that Ran doesn't remember what happened but subconsciously, could he have known who attacked his team that night?" She paused, looking down then nodded. "I understand, that he can not be cleared until we find him, Persia. I told Weiss to watch him closely, that Ran could be in danger, so he should be safe enough with them." She breathed out, rubbing her forehead as Persia began speaking once again. She knew that the man was as upset about this as she, but sometimes she wondered if he was seeing this problem clearly. 'Or maybe I am the one that is not seeing this clearly, maybe he is right and this was an inside job. But why would they do it, what could any of them gain by killing off the others, what would be so important?' Her boss's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Yes sir, I know, we can't afford to lose Ran right now, he's the only link we have left." With those words she hung up the cell phone, jade eyes glanced around as an uneasy feeling overcame her. 'It's not right here...something is very wrong.' Pulling open her car door, she drove off, unaware of the man watching her from the shadows.  
  
He couldn't help but smile as he overheard the conversation that the redhead was having with Kritiker's commander. 'So part of the truth is uncovered but they still don't know the whole of it. To think, these are the people who trained us and they can't even solve one stupid incident.' When Manx finished, he watched as she looked around then got into her car. The woman he had known as Erika, she was a smart one, he did know that much. It was an undeniable fact that she knew she had been watched, but when had she realized it? He breathed out, dark eyes falling on the building across the street from where he hid. 'So the boy doesn't remember what happened at Kyoto, he's forgotten?' That singular thought brought a rush though his body, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "My beautiful one, my Orchid… this is where they hid you? I've come back to finish what we all have started. Don't you know that you will never escape from me, Ran?"   
  
Looking up as the lights came on in one of the rooms above the shop, he stepped further back into the shadows. After a moment the stranger turned, walking down the alley behind him and into the night. The darkness had always been a friend to him, like it had been to his teammates. Darkness that had ended up possessing their souls; a never-ending void that had brought their downfall. Jealousy and hate, fear and need, weren't such things considered a weakness? But it was those exact things that fueled his obsession for the crimson haired man, his need to possess or destroy the man. Ran was his and only his, this new team of his might not know it, but soon he would make it a very clear fact.  
  
Violet eyes looked down at the alley across the street, he could have sworn something had been there, or someone. It was odd how he could sense it, like a humming inside his body as it called. But there had been nothing, at least nothing that he could see. 'But this feeling, it won't go away. I know this as I know myself, it is fear, desire, and hate all mixed together in a delicate balance. It is like one going mad, the darkness pulling them downward into hell.'  
  
"Ran?" The pale redhead jumped at the singular world, turning to meet the deep green eyes of his eldest teammate. "Omi is going to cook dinner, are you hungry at all?" When he didn't respond, Yohji frowned. "Well, you need to eat, so I'm going to tell him to make you something. Why don't you go take a shower, try to forget what Manx said, Kritiker always makes assumptions before they know all the facts."  
  
Ran nodded, seeing the man smile as he made his way across the living room towards the kitchen. "Yohji?" He paused, looking back at the oddly silent man. "N-nothing, never mind...thank you for, well everything."  
  
"Not a problem, now relax because you're beginning to make me jumpy!" He said, laughing at those words. Ran knew the man was only kidding, but listened anyway, making his way upstairs to his room.  
  
Omi looked up, brushing long blond bangs from his eyes. "Does Ran want some food, Yohji?"  
  
Shrugging, he took a seat at the table, glancing first at Omi then to the brunette beside him. "He didn't say yes, but he needs to eat so go ahead and make it. If he doesn't eat it, Ken will."  
  
"Yohji!" He growled, glancing towards the living room. "Where is he?"  
  
"I told him to go take a shower because the man is just too stressed out." Ken breathed out, looking back at the food he was cutting up for the blond beside him.  
  
~  
It was four in the morning, no sensible person called at four in the morning. Then she remembered whom she worked for, Kritiker was in no means sensible, and with them everything was a 24-hour operation. Picking up her phone, she switched it on. "Yes?"  
  
"Manx? This is Carter down in research, I think I have something that you are going to want to see." That caught her attention as she sat up in the bed. "We were looking at the swords you brought in for us, I found a clue that might help us solve this crime."  
  
"I will be there in twenty minutes, don't let anyone else know about this until I have arrived." Hanging up the phone, she pulled on some clothes then ran down stairs to her car. Walking out the door, Manx made her way across the parking lot to her car but paused when she saw an envelope on the windshield. "What the…" Jade eyes glanced around the surrounding area before falling on the white paper once again. Manx reached out for the object below the windshield wiper and pulled out the paper inside. "Stop searching for the answers." She whispered, her eyes glancing over those five words once again. A shudder ran though her body as Manx jumped into her car, tossing the note onto the passenger seat. 'Does that mean that we are close? Or is the person who did this giving us a warning?'  
  
As she made her way down to the Kritiker headquarters, Manx couldn't help but think over the occurrences as they had occurred. It was true that the team up in Kyoto was very capable; therefore they were not contacted often. Usually if there was a problem Shion would tell them, when Ran was sent there she knew he had called them on many occasions saying that the boy was stubborn. He had even gone as far to say that he would die on the first mission with his rashness, but over time those messages had become few and far in between. Shion's last report on Ran had even said the man was doing very well and should make a fine assassin.  
  
So that point is where everything began to blur together. Ran had tended to keep in contact with her as well as Shion, and never had the redhead told her of any problems in the team. In fact, he had told her that for the first time since his family had died, he felt like he had found security in his teammates. The very notion of the murderer being one of his teammates seemed so ridiculous. But then things changed, Shion's reports didn't come in as often and Ran had stopped writing her, the whole team seemed to break itself off from Kritiker. The one time she had gone to make sure everything was still in order they seemed distracted and Ran's demeanor had changed, he had gotten colder. Manx knew that should have been a warning to her right then, but she figured they were just going through a rough period.  
  
They hadn't, she now knew that and it seemed as if Persia had known it beforehand. But when that came into play, if he had known something was wrong why hadn't Persia acted sooner? Did he not think it would develop into something far worse? Or did he think the problem would fix itself? She knew her boss would never tell her those answers, but from the way he was acting, he hadn't expected this. So it came down to those months, from the point she left to the point Ran showed up in Tokyo. In those months something had set off the group, either an outside force or treachery from within. But that question was the very one the consumed her, who did this to the Kyoto team and why?  
  
Coming to a stop, she jumped out of her car and walked into the building that served as their base of operations. Nodding to the guard as she walked in, Manx stepped into the elevator and took it down to the research office. 'I hope he's right about this, that whatever he found will solve this case.'  
  
The blond man looked up as the elevator opened, smiling at the woman as she stepped out. "Wondering when you were going to get here."   
  
"I was caught in traffic." She kidded, knowing he would find it humorous. Out of everyone who worked in Kritiker, she had come to like this man. Bright blond hair and pale skin surrounded blue-gray eyes. This week he had put green streaks though his locks, but she knew in a day or two it would be some other odd color. He was simply known as Carter, if that was his first name or last, she had never figured that out. Supposedly Persia had stumbled upon the man on a trip to America, he was in his early twenties and was brought into Kritiker on the sole fact that he was brilliant. He had created many unique weapons while with this group, which included improving on Yohji's garrote and finding a way to make Ken's Bugnuks lighter. "So what extraordinary find did you wake me up for?"  
  
He winked, pointing over to the sword that was sitting on the counter. "You do know what that is?" Manx frowned, shooting the man a half-annoyed look. "Shion's sword… look in the microscope and tell me what you see."  
  
She did as he asked, frowning as jade eyes looked at a magnified version of the metal. "What am I supposed to being looking at?"  
  
"Do you see the dents?" He asked, fiddling with another microscope.  
  
"Yes, but that's not unusual." She answered, pulling away. "Shion was an assassin, he used this katana frequently."  
  
"True." He answered. "But I also know that he was meticulous about keeping the weapon clean." She nodded at those words, knowing that all assassins had that particular twitch to them. "So he would have smoothed out those dents when sharpening the weapon. Now, come over here and look." She did as he asked, looking into the other microscope. "Those are fibers that I found caught in those dents. When I went back to Kyoto I found that the fibers in the burnt mats matched with these fibers." The redhead nodded, looking up at him. "So we have the sword, we know that at some point it hit the floor hard enough to snag and tear the matting."  
  
"Fine…if this is all you got me up for then I am going to be very angry."  
  
Carter's eyes shone as he looked down at Manx. "Nah, I wouldn't do that to you." Waving for her to follow, he brought her over to another counter. "This is the mat from Kyoto, it's a little dirty from the fire but luckily cement doesn't burn. So here, this is where his sword fell and where it was snagged. You can see here, where the metal caught on the fibers." She nodded. "But look here." He said, pointing at another cut in the mat. "Whoever attacked him hit his sword with enough force that the killer's weapon went through the mat. Because of the wounds, we already know that Shion was killed by another sword."  
  
Green eyes looked from the mat to the man beside her. "So what are you telling me, Carter?"  
  
"All the rooms in the building we found them in had wooden floors but that room, it had concrete. So when I went to go take this piece of the mat away guess what I found underneath?" She simply shrugged, waiting for him to continue. "Aww, you're no fun…fine I'll just tell you. Not only did his killer go through the matting but also went into the concrete." He finally said, pulling out a small plastic bag from his pocket. "I found metal shards in the concrete, therefore the metal that matches these shards is the sword that was used to kill Shion."  
  
Manx looked from the bag to Carter. "Have you analyzed them yet?"  
  
"Should be getting the results back very soon." He answered, seeing the redhead finally smile. "I'm amazing, aren't I?"  
  
She couldn't help but smile at those words. "You are amazing, Carter." She answered, kissing his cheek as he blushed. "Great work. So now the question is, how do we match up the metals?"  
  
"There in lies the problem." He answered. "I have already analyzed all the swords that were found on the premises and at the scene of the crime. Once these results come back I'll be able to compare them, but if none of them match up that means the murderer has the weapon with them."  
  
"So what is the good news?"  
  
"Good news is we can use this to prove that Ran had no part in it, maybe that would help him remember what happened." He said, seeing that Manx seemed to relax at those words. "So just ask him if we can borrow his weapon for a few days and I'll get the results back."  
  
~  
  
It was truly beautiful, the way that Ran moved across the floor. Like dancing with an invisible partner, slowly moving in and out of patterns with a grace he had never seen in another person before. He had watched his other teammates practice before; there was nothing to their motions. Yohji and Omi were purely based on long rang attacks, focusing more on centering and targeting. He, his whole weapon was based on pure brute strength, dodging and hand to hand combat. Ran weapon was as graceful and the man welding it, the whole thing was erotically beautiful yet dangerous. Dark eyes looked to the two men beside him, watching as well. For a moment a surge of possession ran though his body, wishing they had left him alone to watch in peace. But, like him, they were curious to what their new team member could do with the weapon he held.  
  
"Beautiful." Omi whispered, looking up at Yohji. "He's very good, seems to have wonderful control over his actions."  
  
Yohji nodded, leaning his chin down on his arm as he leaned against the short wall. "Maybe we should go, let him practice alone."  
  
"We came up here for a reason, Yohji." Ken answered, his eyes never leaving the pale figure out on the floor. "He's been up here for six hours now, he should come eat something and take shower or he's going to stiffen up."  
  
The brunette grinned, forest green eyes twinkling in amusement. "What happened to not getting close to our new teammate?" He teased, poking the man in the side. Ken twitched, growling at his friend before smacking the hand away. "Come on, it's obvious that you like the guy… maybe even more than just like?" He asked. Yeah, he knew it was immature to tease Ken, but it was the only way he knew of to show that he actually cared about the man. He cared about all of his teammates, but Ken was like fire, if you got to close you would get burned. So though he tended to be very straight forward, he wouldn't talk about everything. 'Sometimes teasing him is the only way to get a reaction about something he doesn't want to admit…or talk about.'  
  
"Yohji!" Ken growled, stepping away from him as he walked up the last few stairs.   
  
Omi shook his head at the two. "You shouldn't tease him, what if he does like Ran more than just friends? It's not nice to make fun of someone's love, so be good."  
  
"Yeah, I'll be good." He answered, allowing the smaller assassin to pull him out of the room. 'Let Ken deal with Ran.'  
  
Ken sighed, making his way across the padded floor to the redhead. He was still doing it, that same pattern over and over as if he was caught in a spell that he couldn't break from. He knew he should have been careful; walking up to a man with a sword that didn't know you were there, was stupid. But walking up to a man who didn't know you were there, who was obviously very good at what he did, holding a sword was insane. Then again Ken wasn't exactly thinking along those lines, all he could think was that the redhead looked worn out, violet eyes closed in concentration and slight pain. The brunette knew he had to get the man to slow down, to stop this persistent dance that he had pulled himself into. So he shouldn't have been surprised when Ran hit a turning point in his pattern, his sword coming out at an angle as it cut into his skin.   
  
Violet eyes flew out at the cry of pain, losing all concentration as the sword fell from his grasp and clattered to a stop a few feet away. "Ken?" He saw the brunette smile slightly, one hand over his arm. "What happened?"  
  
"My fault!" He said, trying to hide the pain that was making itself quite obvious. "I shouldn't have walked up to you, I was trying to get your attention."  
  
"I-I… cut you?" He whispered, pulling Ken's hand away from the wound. The redhead frowned as his eyes fell on the slash on the man's tanned upper arm; it wasn't deep but would need a few stitches. "I'm so very sorry." Ran whispered a moment later, rich purple eyes falling on the blood that coated Ken's fingers. "Let me fix it for you?"   
  
He could only nod in response as a pale hand fell to the cut, one finger gently brushing across it. "I-it's bleeding worse than I thought it would." He said, watching the redhead closely. Ran had that look on his face again; the one he had seen up on the roof where he had been lost in thought…or was it memories.   
  
A shudder ran through him as he looked down at the blood that covered his skin. The image stirred something inside of him, almost as if this had happened before, but differently. Putting the finger into his mouth, he met the brunette's chocolate eyes as he watched him. The metallic taste of Ken's blood was almost sweet on his tongue, taking over his senses. Pulling it out a moment later, he smiled slightly at the man before him. "Let's get you fixed."  
  
Ken could only nod as the odd redhead led him out of the training room and down into his own. Ran walked over, pulling open the brunette's closet. "What are you looking for?"  
  
"First aid kit." He answered.  
  
"In the bathroom."  
  
He nodded, entering the smaller room, coming out a moment later with a large blue case. "Don't you know that you shouldn't walk up on people when they are training?" He asked, watching as the tanned skin flushed slightly. "So why did you?"  
  
"Oh, you looked… well, you had been in there for hours and I was worried about you." He responded, watching as the man threaded the needle. "You have done this before, haven't you?"  
  
Ran paused, meeting his eyes once again. "I don't remember." He answered, a blank look on his face. Ken frowned, unconsciously moving slightly away from the man before him. "I'm kidding, yes I know how to sew up a wound." Ken seemed to relax after hearing those words. "I have thought about it," He continued, pushing the needled into his flesh, seeing the man flinch. "Are you gonna be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, it's just a few stitches." Looking down at the cut, he then looked back up at Ran. "Just do it, but keep talking… it will distract me."  
  
The redhead nodded, continuing to push the needle though. "Anyway, I have been thinking about it and I figure I have lost a little over a year of my memory. I remember being with my last team, their faces and they way they acted." He whispered, the man beside him letting out a hiss. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"  
  
"Yes, just… ramble or whatever."  
  
"Very well." He answered, smiling up at the brunette. "I also remember there was a point that we did have a slight problems, but that was mostly my fault. I was angry, it was right after my mother and father…" Ran paused; looking down for a moment then felt a hand on his knee. Breathing out, he met Ken's eyes again and smiled. "Going past that, I can't really remember anything but I sometimes get feelings. Almost like I have forgotten something important, but it's right there, trying to get out." Reaching down, he picked up the scissors beside him, cutting the string and picking up the roll of bandages. "Not bad if I say so myself."  
  
Ken glanced down at the stitches, roughly three inches long and nodded. "I will never doubt your nursing skills again."   
  
"Good, if you did I wouldn't take care of you anymore." He whispered, the slight humor reaching his voice. Wrapping the bandage around his arm, he tied it off. "Just be careful for a few days till it can begin to heal."  
  
"Do you remember who taught you this?" He asked, gesturing to the bandage.  
  
"Shion."  
  
Ken nodded, brushing scarlet bangs from the older assassin's eyes. 'He will remember one day, then everything will be okay.'  
  
~  
kami: *purrs* I'm not ever gonna get bored with reading this story!  
  
Ken: It's nice… but… *rubs injured arm*  
  
Ran: *swats Ken's hand away* Stop that, you'll aggravate the wound.  
  
Ken: ;_; But it hurts!!  
  
Ran: *kisses wound* Better?  
  
Ken: ^___^ Yeah! Come to think of it, other parts of me are injured…  
  
Ran: Is that so? *grabs Ken and runs away*  
  
kami: … My god, they're nonstop. So meanwhile they're doing that, leave a nice review for Isa-chan? Pretty please? 


	8. Kikiyou

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be... Damn...   
  
*  
  
Gomen, gomen, gomen! *bows* I didn't mean for this to take as long as it did, please forgive? Once again, thank you to everyone who has been patient and waited for this. Thank you, as always, to kami-chan whos the best beta-reader in the world, Windy, my ebbil son and, Chibi who keep annoying me to write! *giggles* Hope you enjoy! Please, if you don't mind... review? *bows once again and runs off*  
  
*  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
He didn't like it, nothing that he saw brought any relief to his mind of the situation that had been presented to him. But then again, he knew he couldn't refuse, it was part of this world that he had been pulled into. He had been trained that the darkness was a friend, something that could hide him from the eyes of the world. He had also been taught to survive, to fight till the end and to never give into a stronger power. Death, darkness, a murderer among monsters who brought the wicked to their knees, providing justice with the swing of his sword. It was the basics of survival and it was all he had, but this was something completely different from what he was used to. This was one of the worst things that he had ever had to face in his life, he could only hope that he survived. "If you're not going to buy anything, GET OUT!"  
  
Once again the girls giggled as the redhead lost his temper, annoyed at the harpies that hung around in the store. "Ran, you have to be nicer." The blond whispered, walking up beside him. "They may be annoying, but they are customers."  
  
"Customers buy things." Ran answered, his eyes never leaving the arrangement that he had been working on. A moment later he frowned, looking at the boy beside him. "This is the way I look at it, they are in the store and actual customers think we are busy." Ken couldn't help but smile at the words as they fell from the redhead's mouth. "Because of that, they decide to go to another store, making us lose business; thus we lose money. In the end, we have to shut down because we aren't bringing in enough profit to keep the business open." Of course that would never happen, Kritiker made sure all bills were taken care of, but the customers didn't know that. Ran could have almost smiled at the shocked looks on the girls' faces, slowly they began to file out of the shop and back into the streets.   
  
Omi just stood there in disbelief, no fuss, no muss and they were leaving on their own. Usually the three of them had to make the lovesick girls leave by force, yet Ran had done it with a few choice words. "You know, they will be back?"  
  
The swordsman shrugged, going back to his flowers. "But for now it is silent." He answered, a slight smile crossing his lips. Yes, he felt a lot better now that all those pretentious girls were gone.   
  
Yohji sighed, looking over at Ran. "Now there is no one to talk to, what am I supposed to do?"  
  
"Work?" Green eyes glared over at Ken as the soccer-loving assassin laughed at him. "Oh I'm sorry, do you need me to grab the dictionary so you call look up the definition?"   
  
Once again Yohji glared over at the brunette, pouting. "Omi, tell him to stop teasing me!"  
  
Ran glanced up at the three as they continued on with their games. He found it funny, how much the three assassins reminded him of his first team. From what he could remember of his past with his group in Kyoto, they had seemed to get along, but then again he didn't remember the past year. 'What if something did go wrong? Did we have a falling out? I wish I could remember something, anything that could point to what happened up there.' But he knew there was no point in it, he would only remember when it came back to him and until then there was no point in pushing the issue. Thinking back on Manx's words, he wondered if it could have been an inside job. Could that someone he had trusted betray them, killing everyone but him… could that have been Kikiyou? 'Could he be coming back for me?'  
  
"Ran?" He looked up meeting dark eyes with his own violet orbs. "You were lost." He stated, seeing the confused look he received. "You know… in thought? I had asked you a question and you never answered."  
  
"I'm sorry Ken, you are right." Looking back down at the arrangement before him, he frowned noticing that it was done. "When did…"  
  
"A few minutes ago." Ken answered. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
The brunette could only smile at that response. He should have been used to the fact the Ran sometimes acted like this, but he didn't like when the redhead pushed him away. "Well, if you need me I'll be over there." He said a moment later, but Ran never responded.  
  
*   
  
He loved to watch him, it was like a guilty obsession that he couldn't stop, even if he wanted to. All he could think of was him, how he might have lost his memories, but his grace and beauty? No, they were as seductive and erotic as ever. He might have forgotten, but some things were too engrained into the redhead to forget. Standing there, eyes narrowed as he labored over the arrangement before him, brows furrowed in concentration.   
  
Ran really was beautiful, but in a way he had been tainted… he had been changed by these people he now called his teammates. Yes, it was partially due to memory loss but also the way he held himself, as if he was uncertain and confused. Kikiyou could understand that in a way no one else could, he had seen Ran when the man had first been brought to them. Back then he had been a young, frightened, angry child, but they had changed him. They had taught him and he had become like them, if that was a good thing or not was for Ran to decide.   
  
Kikiyou knew that this new Ran that he saw before him, wasn't the man he had been trained to become. Losing his memory had changed him back into that boy they had tried to force out of him. The one who still believed in the goodness of people, even if he hid that fact from others. The one who knew that the world was a cruel place, but that light could still exist; even in the darkest of hearts. Ran, himself, had been a walking paradox. Even though he believed that decency existed in people, it was hard for him to forgive and even harder for him to forget.  
  
The assassin could hold a grunge, Kikiyou knew this, and as far as he knew, Ran had never gotten his revenge. That in fact, was the reason that the redhead had become an assassin. He knew a bit of the story from Shion that he had been sent to their team after his family had been killed and his sister put into a coma. Sure, Ran had come to Kritiker looking for vengeance against the person responsible, which happened to be Takatori. As of yet, Kikiyou knew Ran hadn't achieved that goal, as his family's killer was still a free man, untouched by the redhead's fury. A fury, that at one time he and his team members had reigned for a completely different purpose.  
  
It was interesting to see Ran in the position Kritiker had moved him into. The man had never been that friendly, seeing him surrounded by happy-go-lucky girls, who didn't seem to be able to take a hint, was fascinating. Dark eyes watched as Ran yelled at said girls, a moment later the blond came over and spoke to him. The redhead obviously said something that the girls didn't like, moments later they cleared out of the store, leaving the men alone. Kikiyou couldn't help but smile, Ran had never liked a lot of people around him.  
  
Dark eyes narrowed as the brunette inside the shop walked up to Ran. There was a short exchange, then the man smiled at Ran and walked away. It was the same man he had seen talking to Ran earlier that day out in the back, the older assassin had smiled then. Kikiyou had hated that this person had that effect on Ran, no one should have that effect on his teammate, and especially some new member he had just met. But there it was and it was plain as day, the two were comfortable around one another and this stranger made Ran happy.  
  
'No one should make him happy but me.' He thought, leaning against the wall as he watched the stranger he now hated, the brunette he cursed for changing Ran. 'If anyone would make Ran smile, it should be me. He is mine… my orchid, my teammate and my lover. No one else's… gods Ran, you really have forgotten everything, haven't you?' The feeling of eyes on him knocked Kikiyou from his thoughts as he looked up. In the doorway stood a tall dark haired man, green eyes fixed on him, scrutinizing him. A feeling of nervousness ran though him as he glared at the smoking assassin, then turned and walked away.  
  
"I have officially decided that people are freaks." Yohji said out of the blue, looking back into the flower shop. Ran chose to ignore him, as usual; while the other two looked up. "There was some man standing across the street just staring at the shop. What idiot would just stare at a flower shop like that, for no reason at all?"  
  
Shrugging, Ken picked up a pot off the floor and moved it towards the back. "Maybe we have a few fanboys after us as well as girls?" He answered, seeing the look Yohji shot him. "What? Anything is possible, isn't that right Ran?"  
  
Violet eyes glances up at Ken as the younger assassin moved past him. "I'm sorry?"  
  
"Fanboys… you know, like all the girls in here?"  
  
Ran frowned as his eyes fell on the windows and the street beyond. "Those girls are an annoyance, I don't see how you three put up with them for so long."  
  
"We just never had anyone with such a wonderful personality that could drive them off." The longhaired brunette quipped. "Now that you are here, we should be perfectly fine!" The redhead just rolled his eyes, once again focusing on the job before him.  
  
*  
  
"Are you sure you don't want one of us to come with you?" Omi yelled down the stairs and into the back room where Ran stood, pulling on his coat. "Ken's at practice but Yohji and I could always keep you company."  
  
'Just what I need,' he thought, buttoning up his coat. 'A happy kid or a chatty playboy.' Sighing, Ran looked back up the stairs, Omi standing at the top awaiting his answer. "I'm going to go for a walk, then do some shopping," Omi nodded. "I'll be fine, I promise that I won't get lost."   
  
That made the blond smile. "Well, take your cell with you, just incase something happens." He responded, sounding a bit too motherly to Ran's ears. "Dinner should be ready in a few hours!"  
  
"Fine." On that note he opened the back door and walked out of the house. It wasn't that he failed to get along with his teammates, he really did. They just tended to be different from him and that fact could sometimes annoy him. It wasn't that he expected them to be an exact copy of one another that would have been a bit too odd. But this team, in and of themselves were nothing alike, yet they got along. Another thing that bothered him was how they tried to make him feel welcome. In a way he had been glad that they were trying, it meant a lot to Ran that they wanted to accept him. He just wished they wouldn't try so hard. 'I feel like they are coddling me, or trying to make me into something I am not.'  
  
That very thought made him take pause. How could he be something he was not, when he couldn't remember what he had been? Ran knew that Kritiker believed he was hiding the facts, or that he wasn't remembering because he didn't want to. The first, he knew wasn't a fact but the second… could he really be forcing himself to forget what happened that night in Kyoto? Could he have seen the whole thing, and then blocked it from his mind, some sort of self inflicted amnesia? But if that was the case, what had really happened to his old team? What could have been so bad, that he wouldn't want the person responsible to pay for the crimes they had committed?  
  
'All this thinking isn't helping.' One pale hand rose to rub his forehead. 'It's only giving me another headache, I'm having enough of those.' Ran could only sigh, glancing around to see where his feet had pulled him. He knew he hadn't been paying much attention to the world around him, like usual. Unlike others, the daily routine of the people around him bored Ran to no end. 'When I look at the daily lives of the people in and around me, I wonder what my life would have been like had I not be dragged down into this world.' He mused, taking a left into the park that he had been passing. 'Would I be as blind as these people, unawares of the nightly activities of Kritiker?' He hated that thought, being like them, like the people that turned a blind eye to the destruction other humans caused.   
  
The world was truly a beautiful place, if one took the time to see it. Ran, he had the time, which is why he liked to remain silent and observe the routines of the world order. The redhead had remembered Shion once telling him, when you acted out in anger, simple things that should be obvious seemed to go by in a rush. Though if you took your time to observe the workings around you, things that seemed blurred tended to come into focus. Ran could honestly say he hadn't always listened to his mentor, even now his temper got to him. Even if he hid the fact by keeping that anger inside. He had to because of what he had been taught to be, the observer, the calm silence that a team needed. He had become the rational mind, the wall that others could support themselves upon.   
  
Or so he felt. "But what do I feel like this? Like… at some point that wall crumbled? That, because of me, something bad happened that I can't remember?" Those thoughts were what drove him from his other teammates and out into the city to be alone. He wanted to remember the occurrences that had preceded his escape to Tokyo. He wanted to remember how he had gotten to this city, to Kritiker and into this position. 'I feel like the more I try to remember, the harder it becomes to reach that memory!' It was frustrating, and it was wearing down, what little distance he had put between himself and his three new team members. Especially Ken. 'Ken.' For some reason, he was the one person that Ran wanted to believe in, to put his trust in.  
  
"Do you have a headache?"   
  
The sentence was to the point, the person's voice, calm, deep and strong. Before Ran could even connect the fact into his mind that he had, in fact, been spoken too, the one word he never thought we would say fell from his mouth. "Kikiyou?" The violet gaze looked up, meeting the almost black eyes before him. Long dark hair fell around tanned features as the man smiled at him. "Is… is it really you?" He whispered, standing up from the bench that he had, at some point, seated himself at.   
  
"Ran." He answered, shaking his head. "I never thought I would see you again. I thought you had been killed in the attacks!" With those words said, the taller man pulled Ran to him, holding him in his arms. "I ran after Shion fell, my injuries were too severe to stay and try to fight. It would have been suicide!" Releasing his hold on the younger man, Ran just stood there in a daze. "I tried to find you, how did you get away?"  
  
That made him look up, still shocked that he stood there before him. 'No, Manx has to be wrong! This… he is Kikiyou, I remember this kindness. There is no way he was involved with our team's death! It makes sense, he was injured, afraid if he went back to Kritiker that the ones who did attack us would follow. He was trying to protect us!' A hand on his shoulder made him blink as the gentle face of his friend came back into focus. "I-I, how did I escape? I can't remember, all I know is that I woke up here, in Tokyo. Manx came to me, told me what had happened to our team, said you were missing!"  
  
He nodded, dark eyes glancing around the park as if he was watching for something. "I needed time to heal, I barley got away…" finally he looked back down at the shorter man before him. "I felt awful that I couldn't find you, I mourned your death." Suddenly Kikiyou smiled grabbing Ran's arms. "But here you are, alive and safe! You don't know how happy I am that you made it out of there."  
  
"Kikiyou?" His friend and teammate arched a brow, worry crossing his eyes for a brief moment. "Have you spoken to Kritiker?" A simple shake of the head gave Ran his answer. "They believe that you are the one who is responsible for our team's death."  
  
"Impossible." He stated firmly.  
  
Ran nodded, sitting back down on the bench while Kikiyou remained standing. "That is what I told Manx, it was impossible! Kritiker won't listen, they say my amnesia is effecting my judgment."  
  
A tanned hand reached up, brushing dark hair back from his face. "Amnesia? You can't remember anything that happened?"  
  
"No, I remember coming to Kyoto and being put onto the team. Everything after that tends to blur together, then just goes black." Ran answered honestly, here was a man he knew he could trust. A man he had feared he had lost forever, back in the flesh and standing before him. "Manx keeps pressuring me to remember so that can find the people that attacked us, but the more I try, the more it hurts."  
  
Kikiyou nodded, smiling once again at his young friend. "Then stop trying to remember." He responded, resting his hand on Ran's shoulder. "Don't cause yourself pain because of them."  
  
The redhead couldn't help but smile up at him, finally receiving what he truly needed. Support. "You sound like Ken." He whispered, a slight smile remaining on his lip at those words as his eyes fell closed. Those actions caused Ran to miss the frown that crossed his friend's face.   
  
"Who is Ken?" He asked, suddenly curious to know exactly what this new team had become to him.   
  
"Ken is one on my new teammates, dark haired and slightly shorter than me." Ran's eyes opened as he glanced at Kikiyou. "He's very kind and seems genuinely worried about me. So far he is the one person on the team I feel I can relate to and who understands me, though we are different. Though all of my teammates are very nice, just… different." Glancing away from his teammate, Ran frowned. "Do you remember what happened to our team? Are you going to go speak to Manx now that you have healed?"  
  
"Yes to both questions." He replied. "But do me a favor?" Ran could only nod, Kikiyou knew that Ran would do anything for him. "Don't tell Manx I am back yet, I know who did this to us and I am very close to solving the whole problem, then I can tell Manx."  
  
Violet eyes lit up at those words. "Do you mean that?" His friend nodded, a smile crossing his own features at the redhead's relief. "Who did this?"  
  
"I would rather you not remember if it saves you pain." He answered honestly. "Believe me, you don't want to remember what happened that night."   
  
Letting out a sigh, he stood and looked down at Kikiyou. "Why do you always take care of me, worry for me?"   
  
Smiling up at the redhead, he stood and took Ran's chin gently with his hand. "It is because I care about you." He answered, kissing his cheek gently. Purple eyes widened at his show of affection as a blush crossed his cheeks. "I'll contact you soon." He then said, walking away from him.   
  
*  
  
Ken jumped off his bike, pushing it into the garage. He had to admit to himself that the children he coached down at the park were getting a lot better than they had been when he had first met them. It was interesting actually, how he had got reigned into this position. One fall day Ken had decided to go for a walk in a nearby park and had seen a group of children playing soccer… badly. When one of the kids kicked the ball towards him, he had sent it back their way and instantly had been pulled into the game by the children. That had caused him to help them with their game, when had lead to more children coming over to play. Before he knew it he had been going down to the park two days a week and on Saturday's to teach the kids. Ken liked it though, it was one of the few things he had in his life that was good. The other thing was something that had just hit him unexpectedly.   
  
Ran.  
  
He didn't know when he started having genuine feelings for the silent redhead, but he couldn't deny that they weren't there. Of course the last thing he wanted to do was to actually admit to anyone that he had fallen for their newest recruit, especially Yohji. 'If he found out he would never let up, stupid playboy would probably try to figure out ways to play matchmaker.' Letting out a sigh, he made his way for the garage door that would lead him to the stairs up to the kitchen. One tanned hand fell on the handle, when he looked up seeing an envelope taped to the wooden door. "That is odd." Glancing around for a moment, he pulled it down, pulling out the paper inside. Dark eyes widened a moment later as Ken pulled open the door and ran upstairs.  
  
Omi smiled to himself as he heard the pounding coming up the stairs. "Ken must be home."   
  
"Yep, he's the only one that can make that much noise." The longhaired brunette answered, looking up from the magazine. "You would think he was raised with no manners!" The blond simply shook his head, knowing that Yohji, himself, lacked many of those manners as well.  
  
A moment later the back door flew open as Ken rushed though the kitchen and up the stairs. "Ran!" He yelled, tossing open the older man's bedroom door. "Shit!" Growling, he closed the door on the empty room, making his way up to the training room. "Ran, are you here?!" He yelled once again, but there was no answer to his call. Dashing out of the room and back downstairs, Ken made his way back into the kitchen seeing the looks his two teammates were giving him. "Where is Ran?"  
  
"Gone." Yohji answered, looking back to his magazine.  
  
The blond nodded, bright blue eyes falling on his friend. "He looked restless, said he wanted to take a walk. I offered to go with him, but I don't think he really wanted any company."  
  
"Shit, shit, shit!" He growled, slamming the note down on the table. "I found this on the door to the garage."  
  
Yohji sat down the magazine as Omi picked up the paper off the kitchen table. "What is it, kid?"  
  
He couldn't help but frown at the words that were written across the white sheet. " 'He is my possession, you will never be able to own him. Stop your affection towards my Orchid or I will kill you.' " Omi looked up at Ken, eyes wide. "Where did you find this?"  
  
The younger brunette couldn't help from sighing. "On the garage door."  
  
"I don't get it? What do they mean by giving affection to their orchid?"   
  
"Oh Yohji…" The youngest assassin said, shaking his head. "Ran, his name means orchid."   
  
Green eyes widened as he finally understood exactly what the note was referring to. "Well, shit."  
  
"Someone knows that Ran is here with us!" Ken snapped, the need to protect his friend and newest team member flooded his mind. "What if it's that Kikiyou guy? You know, the one that Manx warned us about?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know what?" All three looked up at the feminine voice that now filtered though their panic. "You three look like you have seen a ghost?" She then said, arching one scarlet brow in question. "Has something happened that I should know about?"  
  
Yohji breathed out, looking up at the brunette and blond standing beside him at the table. They all knew they should tell Manx, but he also knew that might just cause more problems for their small team. 'What if we tell her and she decides that Ran should be removed?' Yohji asked himself, not liking that outcome at all. 'Ken is finally getting used to a new member, there might be more to his liking? Would it be fair to take Ran away when Ken really does want to help and protect him? What would that do to Ken?' It was obvious that Omi was thinking along the same lines as his eyes fell on his own. Deciding to take a chance, Yohji glanced back up at the redhead. "We need to tell you something, but you can't inform Kritiker."  
  
Manx sighed, crossing her arms. "I can't do that Yohji, you know this."  
  
"Fine, then promise that everything will stay the way it is right now!" Omi then said, a slight fear creeping into his voice.   
  
"I can't promise that either." She answered, walking up to the table. "But if this has to do with Ran, please boys you know we want to protect him. We can't do that if we don't know what is happening! Please, if you really want to protect him, tell me what is happening."  
  
After a moment the three assassins seemed to calm down as Omi handed the note over to their informant. "Ken found that on the door when he came home." Manx took the paper from his hand, glancing over it then looked back up at the three. "We know it has to do with Ran, but we don't want to see him go! We want to help him Manx, please don't try to take him away?"  
  
"Oh Omi," reaching a hand up to rub her forehead, she once again glanced of the note. "I'm going to take this in, try to compare the writing to the old members of Ran's team. Kikiyou might be here, looking for him this very minute. This only proves that someone has found out where he is." She couldn't help but growl at those words. "We couldn't even keep him safe, whoever did this has already found him."  
  
"Kikiyou, you mean?" Jade eyes met the dark green of the eldest assassins. "You think that Kikiyou has found Ran?" She hated how this team could figure out what she was thinking, even the playboy could read her. That wasn't always a good thing, but there was nothing she could do to change it. "Even though he says that Kikiyou couldn't be the one who did it, you still believe he did. Is that why you want him to remember, so he can prove that he was the cause of this?"  
  
Manx couldn't help but glare at the man before her. "What Kritiker believes and what really happened is none of your concern. You need…"  
  
"It is our concern." Ken answered, cutting her off. "The moment you put him with us, you put our lives in danger." Manx sighed, knowing he was right. "You asked us to protect him, asked up to watch over him. When you did that you involved us in this, so don't tell us it's none of our concern." Omi and Yohji both looked up at Ken in shock, they had never heard him sound that intelligent before. Then again, he was fighting to keep something that he cared about. That could make anyone do anything to make another person see their point of view.   
  
"Very well." She replied. "Even though Ran doesn't believe that Kikiyou did it, he is still a suspect seeing we can't find him. Kritiker can't confirm if he is alive or dead, that is why we are concerned about this." Holding up the note, she frowned. "This only makes me worry, I don't want Ran harmed. Look… I won't remove him from this group, but please, watch him closely." The three assassins nodded. "Don't let him know what is happening."  
  
"Manx.."  
  
"Please, don't let him know about this note." Reluctantly, they nodded. "Thank you, now when Ran does get home I need to know, we think we found a way to find out who really did do this. I need to borrow his sword, but I don't feel right just taking it."  
  
"Okay Manx, we will do that for you."  
  
Manx smiled, slipping the note into her pocket. "Thank you boys, I'll be back over soon." Turning, she walked out and down towards her car. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to see the violet eyes that watched her as she left Weiss's home.  
  
*  
  
kami: How does she do it?   
  
Schu: Do what?  
  
kami: Pull out wonderful chapters like that! Moouu! I can't stand this Kikiyou guy! Grr!!  
  
Schu: *nonchalantly* Yeah, me too.   
  
kami: *pokes him* What's with you?  
  
Schu: *cries* Isa-chan was having green tea ice cream this morning and didn't offer me any!   
  
kami: O_O;; *rocks him* There, there, it'll be okay… *looks at reader while holding a crying Schu and whispers* Minna-san, review onegai? Thankies! ^^;; 


	9. Encounters

Disclaimer: I don't own them, if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfics. *evil grin*  
  
*  
  
' Thoughts '  
  
" Spoken "  
  
*  
  
Isa: Thanks to Omi-chan who kept pushing me to finish, Chibi who beta-read this chapter since my bet-reader is in Japan and to kami-chan. Even though you weren't here (seeing you are having all that fun in Japan) I knew you would have wanted me to work on my stories, and you are still the BEST beta reader! *bounces*  
  
Schu: And to me! For being a great muse.  
  
Isa: *sweat drops* That's debatable…  
  
Schu: *sighs* No respect.  
  
*  
  
Encounters  
  
He didn't know where he was going; all he knew was that his instinct told him to run. Run as far away as he could from that house and the people within it. To run from the group that controlled him, from the people that commanded him. All he could think of was that, well that and running from her. That damned woman, the one who he had believed in and trusted in. She had found him and it was she who had brought him into this world of assassination. At the time, it was perfect, even easy. He would work for them and they, in return, would help him get the revenge that he had been seeking. But now, none of it made sense, everything that he had once thought of as perfect no longer added up. He couldn't remember anything of the past few years, and he desperately wanted to. As he ran only one thought dominated over all others, he had to get as far away from all of them as he could.   
  
Ran was vaguely aware of the curses that were shouted at him as he pushed past the multitude of people going home from work for the day. It was too much for him, all of this… normality. None of them could sympathize with him; no one in this mass of humans could feel what he felt. How could they know what it was like to live as he did, live to kill at your master's command like some well-trained circus animal? Then it hit him, he wasn't one of them anymore, and he wasn't human. Ran was someone's property; he was owned and controlled by his master. All Persia was, all Kritiker ever would be was some fucked up ring, bent on controlling their property. Ran wasn't free. He was just made to believe that so he would feel content, so he wouldn't fight the chains that bound him to these people.   
  
That thought made him sick, the heat of the bodies around him making him even more so. The redhead couldn't help it as he closed his eyes, blindly pushing through the crowd. It was too much too fast and too soon, it was all he could see and all he could smell. People were everywhere and he felt suffocated, much like a wolf trapped in the hunter's snare. He continued to fight, blindly, against the press of flesh against his own skin. All he needed was to break from it, that one moment that he didn't feel trapped, and then he could run. Suddenly it came, and he took the opening without a second thought, bolting down the alley. So intent was he in getting away from the throng behind him, he never saw the alley door propped open. Slamming into the obstacle, the redhead fell back, his shoulder connecting roughly with the uneven ground below him.  
  
He didn't know how long he had lain there, watching as the blood slowly dripped to the ground from the gash in his forehead. Sure, it was his own damned fault that he was injured now. I mean really, what kind of assassin was so out of it that he ran head first into an open metal door? 'Obviously me,' was the first thought that came to him as he pushed himself up, wincing as he did so. 'Wonderful, I think I fucked up my shoulder too…' Sighing, Ran stood, cradling his left arm tenderly. 'Magnificent, now I'm going to go back home and they are going to ask what happened.' However, one word in that thought had surprised him. When had he begun to think of that place as home?  
  
Making his way out of the alley and back towards the flower shop, he ignored the looks from the people around him. It didn't matter what any of them thought. All they saw was a damaged boy; they didn't see the murderer below the surface. If they could, he knew they wouldn't give him those pity filled looks. No, if they only knew what he had done they would see Ran for what he really was, a monster. Something to be feared; never to be loved. He had become the demon they dreaded and the terror that haunted them at night. Ran was their death, and you never played with death.  
  
"Ran?" The crimson haired assassin kept walking, his mind so wrapped up in thought he had never heard the man call out to him. "Ran, wait up!"   
  
A hand on his shoulder made him hiss in pain, pulling his injured self away from the unwanted touch. Ran turned, ready to snap at the individual who dared to touch him but paused. 'How did he… What is he doing here?'  
  
A slight frown marred tanned features as the dark haired assassin shook his head. He might not know what was going with Ran, but he could tell the younger man was not himself. Ran wasn't the awkward type, but he wasn't helpless either. 'There is only two ways Ran could have gotten hurt. Either someone recognized him, got a group of people together and attacked him.' He thought. 'Or Ran has done this to himself.' The man decided, watching as violet eyes went from confusion to recollection, finally settling on a calming gaze. "What happened to you?" Flushing slightly, the crimson haired assassin mumbled a few words, looking down at the ground. "Huh?"  
  
"I ran into a door." The man laughed then, doubling over. People that walked near the two men standing there either smiled or gave the man an odd look. "You can stop laughing now." Ran grumbled, shifting his shoulder slightly while his friend continued to snicker at what he had said. "Kikyou!"  
  
Looking up, he wiped his cheek with a sleeve and smiled. "I'm sorry." He then said, still smirking. "It's just… the great Fujimiya ran into a door." Those words set the man off into a fit of laughter once again; the annoyed redhead simply started walking off. "Whoa, hold on a minute!" He yelled, reaching for the hot-tempered assassins good arm and pulling him to a stop. "I'm sorry, are you ok?"  
  
"My shoulder," he answered. "I think I injured it."  
  
Kikyou nodded, slipping his hand into Ran's own. "The place I am staying at is only a few blocks from here." He said, tugging him gently in said direction. "Come home with me Ran, I'll take care of you." Thinking over the offer for a moment, he nodded, allowing the older man to lead him away. Anyway, this was Kikyou, his old team member. What harm would come from accepting his help?  
  
*  
  
Walking out of the bathroom, Ran made his way over to the bed in his ex-teammates bedroom and picked up the sweats. Pulling them on, he then grabbed the shirt and tugged it on as well. As he had thought, it was a bit big for him, but it was only for now until his clothes were done washing. After Kikyou had checked his shoulder and cleaned the cut on his forehead, he had made the redhead take a shower. 'He was right; the hot water did help my shoulder. I'm just glad it wasn't seriously damaged. I've already fucked up once, doing it again wouldn't be a wise idea at the moment.' Running the towel though his hair once again, he opened the door and walked out of the bedroom.  
  
Suddenly the smell of cooking food drifting though the small apartment reminded the assassin of how hungry he really was. Now that Ran thought about it, he hadn't eaten since early this morning and it was now almost evening. Making his way into the kitchen, the redhead smiled at the man within standing by the stove. "What is that look for?" Kikyou asked, putting the lid back on the pot.  
  
"No reason." He answered. "I just remember you like this, always taking care of everyone else." Kikyou frowned, causing his ex-teammate to walk over to him. "Did I say something wrong?"  
  
Blinking, he smiled then shook his head. "No," Kikyou answered, seeming to think the question over a moment longer. "It's just that there is no one for me to take care of anymore." He saw the redhead nod, taking the seat across from him. "I had you, Shion and the others. Everyone is gone Ran, it's only you and I now." He laughed softly, resting his head against his palm. "I don't even have you anymore, this new group that you are with takes care of you now."  
  
Ran leaned back in the seat, his head resting against the wall behind him. "I don't know if you would call it -taking care-, it's more along the lines of -putting up with-." The gentle touch on Ran's hand startled him as the man across from him threaded their fingers together. Ran sat there, silent and confused for a moment until one thought overrode them all. Glancing back to Kikyou, Ran couldn't help the frown that crossed his features. "Manx still believes that you are the one who killed our team. Either that, or it is Persia who thought up that crazy idea."  
  
"It's not crazy, it's logical."  
  
Violet eyes met the dark of Kikyou's, confused at the comment. "Are you says she's right?" He snapped, not ready to believe for a moment that was what he meant. The older man shook his head, standing to go back over to the food that was cooking. "Then what was that comment for?" He asked.  
  
"We both know Kritiker isn't the best at solving problems, we are their problem solvers. I believe that Manx is running by logic, and the circumstances that surrounded our fall." Glancing back at Ran, he smiled. "I really am the main suspect, my team is killed, and I disappear? It looks suspicious to them, and that is why I'm getting all the finger pointing."  
  
That did make sense, but Ran still didn't like the fact that a man he trusted was being accused of such an act. "I defended you Kikyou, I told her there was no way I could believe you did this. She wouldn't listen to me; I don't think she wanted to listen. Manx thinks that I am not seeing things clearly because I can't remember."  
  
"Manx is one stubborn woman."  
  
Ran nodded, rubbing his shoulder unconsciously to ease the slight pain that was still present. "Go talk to them, if they know you are working on the case and not part of it…"  
  
Shaking his head, Kikyou reached up to turn off the stove. "They would tell me to stop my personal mission, to let someone else handle it. There are things that I need to do, that I need to have again." One crimson brow arched at that comment, rich purple eyes falling on his friend's troubled features. "Do you really remember nothing Ran?" He whispered, his eyes examining the pot a bit to closely. "Have you forgotten everything?"   
  
Those words startled the younger man as he nodded. "I'm sorry." After a moment he rose, walking over to his old friend. Ran could tell the man was upset over something, he was just hoping he wasn't the cause of it. "I wish I could help you with all this, but I just can't remember anything."  
  
"It isn't that." He whispered then, dark eyes meeting the redhead's gaze. "I just… missed you so much."  
  
"Kikyou, please just tell me what's wrong!"  
  
Nodding slightly, the dark haired man turned to face Ran. "One of the reasons I came back was for you. When I heard you were, in fact alive, I had to come looking for you. I missed you Ran, I thought I had lost you forever and I needed you again." Ran took a step back from his friend; something flitting across his memory for a moment, but then was gone. "Ran, I loved you! I still love you, but you don't remember this, do you?" Violet eyes widened at those words. Somehow, what he said felt so right, but awfully wrong at the same time. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything." He then whispered, pulling the pot from the stove to sit it on the table. "It isn't fair to you, I was wrong to…"  
  
"Kikyou?" He looked up, the confusion still apparent on the younger man's face. "Are you saying that we were involved… romantically?" Ran watched as the older assassin walk up to him, tenderly caressing his cheek. "We were…"  
  
"Lovers?" He nodded. "Does it sound so odd to you now?" When the redhead said nothing, he leaned down to kiss him gently. That brought Ran out of his shock, opening his mouth instinctively to allow Kikyou to deepen the kiss. When he finally did pull away from the kiss, Kikyou smiled down at him.   
  
Raising one pale hand to his lips, his cheeks reddened from what they had just done. 'Idiot, it was only a fucking kiss! Why would he lie, it must be true and I just don't remember. Poor Kikyou, thinking I was dead…' He paused, looking down at the floor. 'But Ken? What am I going to tell him? I didn't know.'  
  
"Ran, what's wrong?" He asked, pulling the smaller man to him. "Did I do something wrong? Am I taking everything to fast?"  
  
"No, it's not you… it's me Kikyou. I was just thinking about how I was going to explain all this to Ken." The growl made Ran look up, seeing the angry expression that now covered his friend face. "Kikyou?"  
  
"Is he your lover?"  
  
Ran could have smacked himself, how could he slip up like that. "No, it's not like that at all! He is my teammate, but he's been taking care of me. I just thought…"  
  
"So you fell in love with another person, but you can't remember us?"  
  
Once again, he shook his head, trying to calm the dark haired man down. "It's not that either!" Ran winced as Kikyou grabbed his wrist roughly, pulling his smaller body against his. "Stop! Kikyou, please!"  
  
Growling, he leaned down to nuzzle the redhead's neck. His tongue darting out to taste the pale skin, purring deeply. "You are mine, always will be. I don't know what you and this man have done, but I won't let him have you!"   
  
"You're hurting me!" He snapped, finally pulling from his ex-teammates hold. "Damn it, fucking asshole! What the hell is wrong with you?" With that, the anger died from his friend deep gaze, turning into concern as he took a step forward. "Stay away!"  
  
Trembling, he held out a hand for Ran's. "I'm sorry, I overreacted. It's just… I thought you were dead and now you are here with me. I guess I got jealous, thinking someone had taken my place."  
  
Ran just looked at him, seeing the genuine concern in his eyes. Sighing, he reached out and took his hand. "It's ok, you just hurt me." He then said, smiling a moment later. "Why don't we eat? I haven't had anything since early this morning and my temper is short." His friend agreed, pulling out the dishes as Ran once again sat at the table.  
  
'I won't let you go this time Ran. No one, not Kritiker, not Weiss, not this man… no one is going to take you from me.' Breathing out, he took a seat beside his friend and began to serve him.  
  
*  
  
"What do you mean he hasn't come home?"  
  
"Exactly that." Omi answered, looking up at the woman before him. "He said he was going for a walk, that was six hours ago. I tried calling his cell phone and got no answer."   
  
Manx shook her head, running her fingers back though her hair. She could tell that he was concerned over their missing teammate, especially with the knowledge that someone might be after him. "Did you inform him of the letter that Ken found taped to the door?"  
  
The two lovers looked at one another, Yohji breathing out as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth. "Like Omi said, he hasn't been home since he left earlier today."  
  
"We really haven't had a chance to tell him anything." Omi then responded. "I haven't even been able to tell him about you needing his katana."  
  
Nodding, she tapped her fingers on the desk, thinking over what she had just been told. "Well there is no stopping it, I need his katana and I'll bring it back in the morning. If he has a problem with it then you can tell him I said not to wander off for so long." Glancing over at the brunette, she saw that Ken really hadn't been paying attention to what they had been talking about. "Wouldn't you say so Ken?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Her frown deepened as she slammed her hand down on the desk. "Ken!"  
  
"Huh?" Looking up, he saw the three looking over at him. "What? Did Ran come home?"  
  
Jade eyes narrowed as she sighed. "No, that is what we were just discussing." She answered. "Let me give you a helpful piece of advice, Ken. Don't fall in love with Abyssinian." Tanned skin flushed at those words as he hung his head, dark bangs covering his eyes. "Ran is a great assassin, but he had problems and these problems…" Stopping, Manx looked away. "Just don't fall in love with him, investing so much worry and love into someone who doesn't care? You will just end up alone again."  
  
"That was kinda cold, Manx." Yohji muttered, seeing that those words had indeed hurt his friend. "Ran and Ken are both big boys, I am sure they can take care of themselves."  
  
Emerald and jade clashed as the redhead glared at the eldest Weiss. "Ken, could you go get Ran's katana for me?" The brunette stood, doing at the informant had asked. He was actually glad she had sent him; he really didn't want to be in there. Not with what she had just said. Once the brunette was gone, Manx spoke. "I know Ran, and never in all that time have I known him to express any form of love." She said, sounding a bit remorseful. "I am trying to save Siberian from having a broken heart, not hurt him."  
  
"Yeah well you did." He drawled, popping the cigarette back into his mouth. "The kid likes Ran, and Ran seems to like him. Maybe loosing his memory was the best thing that could have happened to him!"  
  
"How so?"  
  
Yohji glanced up, smirking. "For one, he has all that damned training nonsense that you put him though gone." There was a pause on his behalf. "Ever think that in your quest to make obedient assassins, you were killing off what little feelings we had remaining?" Rolling her eyes, the redhead crossed her arms. "Yeah we fucked with him and sure he wanted to leave, but things have calmed down. I think he's starting to see that he can fit in here, and… well I'm getting used to him."  
  
"Me too." Omi said with a smile. "He's not so cold and he hasn't really snapped at any of us in the past few days."  
  
That made Manx laugh. "You aren't going to know what Ran is thinking unless he wants you to know. After his family… he shut himself down. It wasn't Kritiker or me, and it wasn't the training. He closed himself off because he doesn't want to be hurt anymore."  
  
Sitting up, Yohji put out his cigarette. "So you are saying that his whole team getting killed was actually a good thing for him?" The sarcasm in his voice was obvious.  
  
"Yohji, that isn't kind." Omi chided. "What happened that night wasn't her fault, it was something very bad and unpredictable."  
  
"You don't know that sweetie." He answered, glancing at his lover. "For all we know, Kritiker knew that team was about to fall under. So instead of trying to fix the problem they just sat back and watched it happen."  
  
"NO!" She snapped, her hands held beside her in tight fists, nails digging into her palms. "I would never allow one of my teams to self destruct like that! I went there so many times, but Ran didn't seem to be getting better, just more depressed. I couldn't get though; his walls had been building up to the point… I thought no one could. Then when he was with Shion, he seemed almost human. I even saw him smile a few times." She said, ending in a whisper as her back hit the wall. "I don't know what to do anymore. All I want, all I have ever wanted was to help him."  
  
Yohji and Omi glanced at one another, seeing now that this was affecting Manx as much as it was they. She honestly wanted the best for their newest teammate; Manx truly cared about their highly stubborn member. Rising from the couch, the blond made his way over to her, taking her hand. "Don't worry, we will take care of him."  
  
"Thank you." She whispered, a slight smile crossing her lips. It was then that they heard the door open, for one brief moment wondering if maybe Ran had finally come home. But it was Ken, not their lost redhead, who made his way down the stairs. Coming down into the room, he walked over to Manx with Ran's katana in his hand. "Tell him I will return it first thing in the morning." She then said, removing the katana from the tanned man's hold. "You three have a good night."  
  
Omi nodded as Yohji waved. "Drive carefully!" With that she was gone, the three left alone once again to wait for their missing members return. "Hey Omi, maybe we should go out and look for him?"  
  
"But if he comes home injured…" They glanced over at Ken seeing him smile slightly. "No, he wouldn't come home injured." He whispered to himself. "Ran is too stubborn to let someone get the best of him." Once again, the lovers looked at one another, a knowing glance passed between them. Manx could warn Ken all she wanted, but the brunette had fallen in love and there was nothing anyone could do.  
  
*  
  
It was as simple as a touch, a damned touch that made him tremble inside. The way his hands ran across his pale skin set every nerve on edge to the point where all he wanted to do was run away. But he couldn't, he wouldn't dare, if he did… this man would hurt him. He would hurt him even more than these touches hurt his soul, this man would leave wounds that weren't so easily seen on the surface. Ran hated giving into him, but to fight him… no he could never fight him. The shame of facing what had been done to him was far worse than the shame of allowing him to continue.   
  
Ran couldn't help but cry out as dull teeth bit into his shoulder. "You're not paying attention to me." The man whispered, pulling the redhead so his back was against his chest, running a hand from his shoulder to his stomach.   
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered, violet eyes falling closed, trying to deny that once again this was happening. She had told him he would be safe, that Ran could trust these people, but this? "…Forgive me?"  
  
The elder man let out a slight laugh, his arms wrapping around his waist as a hand slipped into his robe. "Forgiven. Why are you ashamed of what we do, Rannie?" He whispered, placing feather light kisses against his neck. "It is natural for two people to engage in these acts, its good for you to let out your frustrations."  
  
He couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips as a singular tear trailed down his cheek. "Please, stop…" But he wouldn't listen; then again, the redhead knew he wouldn't. He never would until he possessed every bit of his soul, until Ran gave himself over, completely, and freely. "Please…" He didn't want to loose himself, not as they wanted him too. He didn't want to become this, there was still a part of him that held to the singular truth. But even that truth had turned out to be a lie; he was like them. Even the person that he cared about had deserted him to this, all because he was weak. Ran had given in and this had become his punishment. "Shion please…"  
  
The redhead awoke suddenly, his sweat-covered body glowing in the faint light that filtered in though the window. All his training kicked in as Ran realized he wasn't quite sure where he was, but it wasn't his home. Laying there, unmoving, he trying to get his thoughts to catch up to the current situation he found himself in. A gentle breeze across his cheek made him look up and all thought fled him as Ran smiled. Kikyou lad beside him, sleeping deeply, his arms wrapped protectively around the redheads pale form. He knew what had happened, he knew where he was now, and his mind had eased with that knowledge. 'That's right, Kikyou had told me we were lovers.' Violet eyes slid closed as a slight blush stained his cheeks. His friend had brought him in here, had been kind to Ran by taking things slow. 'I let him have me; we made love. Kikyou seemed so happy to have me back again, he couldn't be lying.'  
  
But for all that he felt a moment of peace, something just wasn't right. Opening his eyes again, he slipped from the older man's hold and looked toward the clock. Ran knew he would be in trouble when he finally made his way home, it was past midnight and it would take him a good thirty minutes to walk there from Kikyou's place. Growling to himself for allowing this to happen, he slipped out of bed and pulled on his clothes. Looking down once more at the sleeping figure, Ran frowned then silently made his way out of the apartment, walking out of the building and down the road. It was then and only then that he started thinking over exactly what had occurred that evening.  
  
For a brief moment in the dark, he had felt secure. After that moment had passed a feeling of dread had caught him and made him realize, something wasn't right. As he continued to analyze the situation Ran finally came to his conclusion, it had felt right because Kikyou wanted him to believe it was. If Kikyou were telling the truth, if they had been lovers, wouldn't some part of him have responded to his touch? But his touch had been wrong, Ran had just wanted it to be right; he had wanted to believe in his teammate. 'So what exactly did happen tonight? Is he telling the truth, or is something deeper happening here?' Growling out in confusion, the assassin turned down an ally and made his way to the back door, pulling out his keys. There was no use in thinking this over now, he was tired and needed rest. Walking up the stairs, Ran opened the door and made his way into the living room. It was then the lights came on and he was faced with three very pissed team members.   
  
"Where the fuck have you been?" Omi snapped, shocking both Ken and Yohji. The blond very rarely snapped and cussed even less, the two combined meant he had honestly been concerned. "Do you know how worried we have been? You said you were going for a walk and picking up a few things, that was almost twelve hours ago, Ran!"  
  
"I'm sorry." Sighing, he brushed back his bangs in frustration. Ran was tired, confused, and sore, the last thing he needed was Mini-Manx bugging him. Really, that boy should have been an informant with as much as he loved knowing everything.   
  
All the anger Omi had felt suddenly lifted, being replaced by concern. "You have been hurt!" He cried out, hoping over to the redhead. "What happened? Are you ok? Were you attacked?" Pulling the redhead over to a chair, he pushed Ran down and started examining the cut on his forehead. "It's clean? Did you go to the hospital?"  
  
Shaking his head, he waved off the blond boys concern. He needed aspirin, he needed his bed but most of all he needed to be alone. "No, Kikyou fixed it for me." Those words made the three men freeze. "What? Did I say something wrong?"  
  
As if those words had flipped a switch, suddenly it was Ken's turn to become worried. "What did he do to you?" He demanded, walking over to the redhead. "Did he do this? Is that why you are hurt?" Ken had been able to tell as soon as he had seen Ran that he had been confused over something. Obviously, whatever it was that was bothering the pale man was still there. Ken had to admit that the man looked really cute when confused. "Ran, what happened?"  
  
"Nothing, I hurt myself by accident." He answered, slightly surprised by the brunettes concern. Sure, Ken had acted this way before but he figured it was due to a passing fancy. "He saw me and helped me, we talked…"  
  
It was Omi's turn to be surprised. "He didn't try to kill you?"  
  
"No."  
  
Ken frowned, meeting Ran's violet eyes with his own. "But we received a letter today?" He whispered. "It said that we couldn't have you? Whoever wrote it said they would kill us if we tried to keep you, that you were theirs."  
  
Ran thought this new information over, opening his mouth to speak when Yohji cut him off. "Hey? Look, everyone is really tired right now. Ran is home and he is safe, lets just be thankful for that at the moment. I suggest that we all go to bed, get a good night's sleep and finish talking about all of this in the morning. I think this is something we are all going to want to have a clear head for."  
  
Omi couldn't help but look up at his lover in shock, a slight smile on his lips. "I like when you say things that actually make sense." With that said, Ran pushed his way past Ken and made his way out of the room. The three only watched as the crimson haired killer ran up the stairs, the slamming of his door echoing down though the halls. Ken could only watch him as he went, more confused now that he had seen Ran's eyes. Seen the silent plea of help, help from his confusion. It only made him want to know what happened even more, but like Yohji said, it would have to wait until morning.  
  
Green eyes met blue as Yohji arches a brow at his younger lover. Seeing him nod, the eldest assassin took a step towards Ken. "You really are an idiot, follow him."   
  
"But…" He began, only to be cut off by the man again.  
  
"Yes we said that we would discuss this in the morning, but it looks like Ran could really use a friend. Seeing that he likes you, I'm guessing that you are it." The brunette blinked, still unsure if he should go. "You will regret it later if you don't go to him." Yohji said, knowing what Ken was thinking. "Go." He didn't need the man to tell him again, turning he made his way up to the redheads room.  
  
*  
  
Isa: Well that is it for this chapter, thank you for reading! *bows*  
  
Schu: Why isn't kami-chan doing this ending?  
  
Isa: O_o Because she is in Japan, Schuschu.  
  
Schu: … Oh, ok! Well please review, kami-chan would like that!  
  
Isa: Heehee. Hai, she would! *bounces* =^___^= 


End file.
